Differences and similarities
by LadyFlowers
Summary: A slightly different take on the movie's end. Shaw does not let the Engineer die. Will include mature content / even more so in later chapters/
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me and I believe we're all lucky it doesn't.

Like many that have seen the movie I was waiting for some Engineer/Shaw action, and received none. So I decided to write my own take on the story. It will start with the canonical movie and then I will add some E/S romance.

Go ahead and and tell me what you think~

* * *

David made his way towards the Sleeping chamber that housed the last surviving Engineer, Wayland urging him on, impatient to gain the knowledge he so desperately desired. Shaw could only watch on, the pain from her improvised caesarean and the crude staples now fastening her skin, holding her wound together; they were making her body very soar. She could feel droplets of cold sweat slide down her temple, her feverish body making her shake ever so slightly, the hurt preventing her from staying up and she slid down to her knees, fighting to keep her eyes open.  
She could not hear clearly what they were saying; annoyed she shook her head slightly, trying to lift the fog that had settled over her mind. It seemed to work and she was able to lift her eyes to watch David, now at the Sleeping chamber pressing on the pod's sides to make it open with a harsh metallic sound.

Inside was a very tall, humanoid figure, a breathing apparatus was fastened to its face and she could hear it breath in deeply, its massive chest lifting to once more accept the air in its lungs. Slowly it lifted itself from the chamber, the tubes in the apparatus being pulled away as it tried straightening its body. It then quickly pulled the breathing aid off of its face, bending down to hack. Shaw could tell it was slightly disoriented, perhaps a bit sick and it reminded her off when she woke from her own Hypersleep; it had not been a nice experience. It had made her vomit for a while and yet the alien was seeming to fair a lot better even though it had spend a lot longer inside its own chamber. Perhaps only she had such problems with it, no one else of the crew was having half as hard a time as she had...

Movement snapped her out of her thoughts as the Engineer attempted to get up from its resting place, the tubes connected from the chamber to its suit being pulled free as well. It straightened with a soft exhale of breath, its eyes opening fully to gaze at the unfamiliar sight in front of it. Shaw had to wonder if it found them as odd as they found it; surely not half as intimidating. Though, she could tell that its eyes harboured no animosity, just silent confusion and question, curiosity anyone would feel after setting eyes not on one's crew but on unfamiliar life forms.  
She heard Ford gulp next to her, clearly scared. Shaw however did not find the Engineer frightening; on the contrary, she had to admit that there was something about its face that seemed...welcome, even attractive perhaps, she could not tell what it was. It may have been the similarities it shared with humans, she did not know.

Then it completely straightened its back with a deep inhale, finally seeming to be completely recovered after the slight haze of the thousands of years old hypersleep, now shifting its dark gaze on Wayland, who with an obviously hungry gaze stared right back. It stepped forward, maybe wanting to address the humans, maybe wanting to get out of its unintended prison but it never made it past the initial step. Shaw held in a gasp as the alien, still affected by its extended rest fell down on its knees, unable to walk just yet. Her body jerked slightly, almost wanting to help it but she was not sure if her sentiment would be seen as kindness or not, she was not even sure her body was able to move due to the stress inflicted upon it.  
The crew did not share her affliction and hurried to help Wayland, asking if he was alright, even though the alien never touched him, not even brushed him as it fell.

The Engineer looked up, slight confusion still present and also something that seemed like annoyance, perhaps at itself for falling, perhaps because of the unknown creatures now in its sight. However, it did not try to get up once more; instead it stayed hunched over, supporting its massive body on its knees. Wayland did not seem to want to wait for it to recover and he urged David to speak to it, to tell the alien that they had come as it asked but Shaw did not allow the blonde to speak as she jumped in.  
" Ask him where they're from!" she pressed, now using 'he' to describe the alien, just as the old man did. Still, she had a hard time keeping herself straight, the pain in her abdomen getting worse. The humans turned to look at her and so did the Engineer. His dark gaze shifted from Wayland to Shaw, seemingly interested in what they were saying.  
"What are you doing?" Asked Wayland, not pleased in the least that she had spoken and interrupted his demand to David. The robot himself seemed intrigued that she had spoken out of turn.

"Ask him what's in his cargo, it killed his people." She continued, not heading Wayland's unspoken command to shut-up. There were more pressing matters at hand than what he desired; they had to find a way to destroy that harrowing black liquid and perhaps even stop the destruction of Earth, if that was indeed what the Engineers planned on doing all those years ago before they fell to their own creation. The last survivor of the aliens was silently gazing at her, studying her as one would something interesting, not shifting his eyes even as the old man spoke again.  
"Dr. Shaw enough, David-" Wayland tried again but once more he was interrupted by her.  
"You made it here and...And it was made for us...why?" Shaw wheezed, finding it hard to speak but she had to. Her tone became urgent as she spoke directly to the Engineer, as if hoping he would understand her if only she tried hard enough.  
"Enough, for god's sake, shut her up!" Commanded Wayland and motioned to Jackson who quickly complied and jammed his weapon's folding stock violently against her stomach, making Shaw fall down to her knees with a loud and pained scream. Yet she did not stop speaking: "I need to know why...what did we do wrong? Why do you hate us?!" She kept yelling, all the time her eyes were fixed on the Engineer who silently stared back at her, puzzlement written on his face as he slowly got to his feet, now towering above them all. He was as curious about her as he was before yet baffled about what she wanted.

"If she opens her mouth again, shoot her!" hurried Wayland, ordering Jackson and turned to the alien once more: "David, tell him why I came." The android complied and as soon as he began speaking to the Engineer it was clear that he indeed understood what David had said to him. Obviously all that studying had bore fruit.

_This man is here because he does not want to die. He believes you can give him more life._

For a moment the Engineer seemed shocked, if not slightly repulsed as he stared down at Wayland. The old man stared back, nervously awaiting his response, still hoping that he would receive what he came for. Shaw had a nagging feeling that that would not be so; there was no more serenity, confusion or curiosity in the Engineer's face, in its place was now an emotion that was close to contempt.

She felt her weakened body begin to shake anew with foreboding as the alien's large, white hands fell on David's head, almost patting him with a sickening tiny smile on his far too calm-looking face. The Android, albeit surprised quickly smiled back. What happened next was indeed not signalling anything pleasant; the Engineer suddenly grabbed the Android by his neck, hoisting him up to his eyelevel, as if he wanted him to see his killer and with that promptly ripped out David's head off of his shoulders with a few practiced twists.

David gurgled as the fluid sprinkled from his wounds, still very much alive. Wayland did not get a chance to even scream as his creation's head was then smashed against his own, sending him flying to the ground, seemingly dead. Jackson quickly fired at the alien but to no avail, the bullets only did minor damage, not reaching deeper flesh. Ford was frozen solid from her fear, only moving after Jackson called to her but it was too late. The Engineer was already at her side and he spun her around as she tried to run, using his large arms to knock her away and send her body tumbling down the short stairs. Jackson was still trying to defend himself but it did not take long for him to get bested and the alien flung him against the far wall.

All this time Shaw could hear her crew mate's bones cracking from inside their bodies as the Engineer killed each of them off; she knew she did not want to stick around to find out what he would do to her. As quickly as her battered body allowed her she ran from the bridge, through the room with the many vases and down the hall. She did not know if he was following her or not but she did not want to turn around to see; her body was barely keeping her moving and she feared if she stopped running she would collapse only to not be able to stand once more.

She gasped and moaned in agony as she tried to escape the dome, stumbling now and then. She had to keep on moving but for a moment she allowed herself to peer back and to her surprise the alien was not following her, instead a loud shriek was emitting from the halls and only a second later a powerful gust of wind hit her, making her fall down. Shaw bit back the yell of pain as her abdomen hit the ground and she got up again, intent on not giving up.

Minor relief overcame her as she exited the dome structure, believing to be at least temporarily safe but she was wrong. As soon as she came outside the earth beneath her feat was moving, almost tearing apart to reveal metal beneath and she knew that this whole complex was about to open up, letting something out. She tried to jump from one moving metal plate only to barely grip the other one, once more hurting her already sore flesh. Shaw huffed bitterly, thinking that even if she did make it out, she would need a hell of a lot more of those staples.

Still, she climbed up and continued to run along the metallic plates, hearing more movement below the surface. Whatever was coming out could not be allowed to, if it was indeed one of those ships meant for Earth than that could be the end for humanity; she could not allow it to happen.

"Prometheus, come in!" she cried, hoping someone would hear her.  
"Shaw is that you, copy?" she heard Janek respond and she was glad, they still had a chance for this to end well.  
"Janek, listen to me, this ship is taking off!"

- 3 -

Thorga had the worst headache he had even remembered having. How long has he been sleeping? It must have been a lot longer than what the medics had been planning, never before had he trouble waking from hypersleep. He tried to open his eyes but he could not, his body was still too rigid, so instead he breathed in deeply as he was taught to do to reduce the numbness and the return the feeling to his limbs. Finally, his body allowed him to move and he slowly bent his bulk to rise but instantly he was overcome with nausea, and he tore his breathing apparatus off of his face in case he would throw up, bending himself over the chamber and coughing loudly.

As he felt his stomach relax he lifted his face to greet his brethren but his crew was not there.  
Instead, there were five humanoids staring at him and he instantly recognized them as human. This confused him deeply, what were they doing on his ship, on this planet and where were his people? He kept the questions from showing on his face and he stood up, towering over the small humans his masters sent him to annihilate. He was sure they told him humanity was not yet ready for space exploration yet here they were, off of their planet and on his own, gazing at him. This needed investigation before he proceeded to give them their just end.

Exhaling loudly, he took a second to study the humanoids before him. One of them was holding what seemed like a weapon yet anything like what he would be using. That human appeared to be rather hostile and he noted in his mind to kill him first. Then to his anew surprise, there were two females standing before him as well. Was this something official? Females would not accompany a hostile delegation and indeed they were not armed. He could tell that the older female seemed tense, afraid and he let his eyes flicker away from her to not disturb her any further. Instead he looked at the younger one... This female too, was not comfortable; something was amiss with the stance of her body; hunched and low, as if she was bowing. She was breathing heavily, barely standing on her legs, sweat dropping from her temple. Perhaps these humans were here to seek aid for the female? If so, he would comply, naturally, he was an honourable man after all and they never turned away from a woman in need even if she was not Mala'kak.

Then Thorga shifted his gaze to the older looking human standing right in front of him. There was something off about his eyes...greed was mirrored in them and he found he did not like it. He would dispose of the ancient one second. The last human too seemed off...he could not say what. Ignoring it for now he tried to step out of the chamber to insist they state why they were here and where were his crew members but his legs were still too weak to keep his massive weight up and he fell down to his knees with a surprised huff. This had never happened before and he had been in and out of hypersleep many times...he could feel dread twisting in his stomach. Just how long had he been sleeping?

He could hear the humans conversing between each other and as he lifted his head to look at them again, he was surprised that the earthlings were huddled close to the ancient one, steadying him and all but ignoring the female who he was now sure was heavily wounded. This surprised and angered him; how could they not aid the female and instead help a male who could obviously stand on his own? Did the ancient one have no pride by letting them hold his body? This species was not guided by honour; he concluded and decided he would end all of their lives, even the older female's for her blatant disregard for her sister. He would spare the wounded one; there was no honour in killing a hurt being. If he could he would try to help her and then send her on her way. He still had to find his people.

Then he heard a softer, higher pitched voice than that of the ancient one; the female had spoken. Instantly he turned his head to her. He could not tell what she was saying or what she wanted from him but it did seem important to her, urgent even. He noticed that the ancient one tried to keep her silent but she did not relent and neither did his eyes stray from her. He still waited for her to somehow tell him what she needed of him.

Then the ancient one raised his voice and the male with the weapon hit the female in her abdomen, apparently hard enough for her to scream and clutch at her stomach. This infuriated him, how dare he hurt a female and not to mention at the area of her womb, the most sacred place on her? Then he caught a slight fragrance in the air...his still sleepy body must have been too out of shape not to have noticed earlier. There was a strong smell of blood coming from the injured female, now even more so than before and there was also something else...something familiar...and as soon as he recognized the scent his mind went red. What he smelt was amniotic fluid. This female had given birth only a couple of hours ago and yet here she was, injured, being hit further and still she was trying to communicate with him. He was impressed by her warrior spirit and even further disgusted with the rest of the humans. Death would come to them soon.

He slowly got back to his feet, still gazing at the heavily injured female as he, to his outmost surprise heard the blonde male speak in his own tongue. What he had said to him was not so much a surprise. He was correct when he suspected their visit was not a good one. Apparently the ancient one desired to prolong his already honourless life and he believed he could give it to him. Laughable, no one was eternal and even if they were, who would wish to live in shame instead of being blessed with the glorious death amidst battle? He was now sure even more so than before that these humans deserved what the high council decided for them; liquidation.

Thorga turned to the messenger of the humans, laying his large, almost ghostly white hand on his blonde hair. It was fitting that no more ill words could leave his mouth and he promptly lifted him up by his neck and twisted and turned, as he would with an Uri, only to tear off his head from his shoulders. To his amazement, the blonde one was not human, he seemed to be mechanical, a robot of sorts. He heard the ancient one speak and now was a good time as any to quiet him as well. He used the head of his first victim to clobber the old one on his head, knocking him down, hopefully killing him as well. The other male started shooting at him and he was pleased to find that their weapons were weak; he hardly felt the projectiles push inside his body. He knew he would have to do minor patching on his skin later but nothing he could not heal in an hour's time.

He made a move to silence the last remaining male but the older female came in his way and instead of going after him he turned her around and pushed at her, breaking her ribcage and puncturing her heart. He did feel slight remorse in killing her but it needed to be done, this way she would regain her honour with the gods and later be reborn anew, free of her now pride less life.

The male tried to shoot at him again but this time Thorga was faster and he knocked the human away, the blow strong enough to propeller him into the wall, breaking his bones as well. He then turned to the injured female but found that she was nowhere to be seen. She must have ran, frightened that he would kill her too. He shook his head slightly, never would he do such a thing but perhaps she somehow thought he would harm her? He only killed the other female for her own sake; surely she had to have known that.

Either way he would find her later, after the ship had taken off and made way for Earth. He would have enough time to heal her wounds and hopefully locate her offspring to make sure it was safe as well. Then he would find his brothers and report of what he had seen and send in a complaint to the medics of his prolonged sleep.  
Thorga could hear the last breaths of the ancient one and his robot as he passed them, making his way to the control panel. He signalled to the board to open the navigation module and instantly the centre of the elevated round structure opened, making way for the massive cannon-like machine to appear from beneath it. He climbed on it, sitting on an inbuilt chair and turning the navigator on. The star systems shone blue all around the room as he input the destination, Earth. It was time to finish his mission and return home to the home planet. With a pleased sigh the helmet came around his face, closing in the front to protect him from the journey through space. He would wake his crew after they left orbit, no need for them to rouse just yet.

The ship trembled and shook from the boosters reawakening after such a long time. The module showing to him that the hangar doors were opening and that there was a small ship right outside. It must belong to the humans he mused and decided to ignore it, there was nothing it could do to stop his ascend.  
He was already looking forward to all the humans he would get to end as his navigator beeped to him that the human ship was starting to move but once again he paid it no heed. He should have though; the small vessel was suddenly flying his way, on a direct collision course with his own ship. He had obviously underestimated the humans, his perception of their honourless beings was seemingly slightly off as the human vessel collided with the side of his own, destroying the engines on the left side and damaging the connection to the ones on the left. Thorga grunted, impressed with their will to protect their species as the Mala'kak ship began falling back down on the planet. Within a second it hit the ground, splintering the outer shell of the vessel and igniting multiple fires within. The navigation was having trouble keeping up with all the damage but it still beeped to him that a fire started in the liquid cargo hold only a hall away from the bridge. He had to act fast, his crew was still sleeping in this very room and he refused to abandon them or any of his people residing on the now crumbling craft.

Even though the roof of the room started falling apart Thorga refused to move from the navigator, quickly sending commands to the machine to block airways and certain parts of the ship away to minimize structural damage and spread of fire. He silently apologized to the ones caught in the now sealed rooms, left to die. He would make sure they will all get a hero's burial. Just as he was about to seal the medical centre a part of the ceiling broke, a huge chunk of it crashing down on the navigator's cannon-like tube and crushing it before it fell down on the ground. He cursed, the machine was all but useless now as the blue lights died out yet the loud beeping of danger still remained. He got out of the navigator and quickly ran to the sleeping chamber of his second-in-command to wake him and pull him to safety but...there was a large hole in the hypersleep pod and it was not recent. Something had broken from within it rather than from outside as the bent material proved.

The air caught in his throat as he realized what had happened...the acid-blooded monsters had gotten to him and if he was dead then—Thorga quickly moved to the next pod and found it in the same condition and the next as well...if the black liquid had somehow gotten free while he was in his chamber, recuperation from his injuries than that meant that his whole crew that he had tried to save was more than likely dead. He howled with anger and grief over the body of his deceased friends. Had the humans set the liquid free and kept just one alive so they could control him more easily? They would pay for that, every last one!

He got up from the floor and away from the pods, down the elevation and into the hall that took him to the hangar. He would make it out of here alive and punish those humanoids for daring to do this to his crew. But as soon as he opened the door to the hangar, flames burst through and hit him on the face, burning his skin off. He screamed in pain and backed away but he knew this was the only way to the exit and he grit his teeth as he ran forward with a loud battle cry, right through the fire. It hurt like hell but he finally made it out of the cargo hold and into the hall. He tried not to look at the dead bodies littering the floor, their obvious states of decay and age. He did not want to think about how long he had been sleeping while his comrades were decaying only meters away.

Just as he was about to open the door to the hall leading to the exit the ship moved again and he was thrown around, the gravity changing and landing him on the ceiling instead of the floor. He grunted in pain, momentarily closing his eyes and succumbing to darkness but only moments later he once again opened his lids. Now the ship seemed still and he realized it must have capsized as it crashed back on the planet. He was thankful that he was still alive and would get a chance to seize revenge for his people. With a loud huff he got back to his feet, albeit a bit shaky at the start and slowly made his way towards the exit.

- 3 -

Shaw had just stepped into the pod Janek had released from the ship and had started to pack supplies into a bag. She would need the food and oxygen and possible medical supplies. She still had no idea how she managed to survive the ship falling on her but it seemed she had a weird mix of luck and unluck today. She gasped from the pain, the crude stitches must have gotten free and she was sure she could feel blood seeping into her suit. She needed to re-sew her wound.  
Then she heard a loud bang coming from deeper inside the ship and she held the bag close, frightened. But there was nowhere to run, she knew she had to deal with this, she only hoped it was not what she thought it was.  
Grabbing a slightly curved axe from the supplies hatch she stepped deeper into the pod. Inside, books and metal wires were thrown about, cabinets broken and glass on the floor. Still, the projection of a small girl playing a violin was eerily still playing. She ignored it and instead made her way to the medical room. The machines on the wall beeped caution and danger as she gazed into the sealed room.

The surgical pod in which she had been before was now closing and opening itself, the alien creature she had removed from herself nowhere to be seen. She almost dared to hope that it was dead but to her dismay, in that exact moment it hit the door with its tentacle, banging on it as if it demanded to be set free. Immediately she backed away, knowing she could not best the now very large beast with such a small axe.

"Elizabeth, are you there?" suddenly, David's voice was speaking to her over her comm. He was still alive. Because she did not answer, the android continued: "This is David." He said.  
" Yeah, I'm here." She wheezed, gasping for air. She felt slightly better knowing that she was no longer alone, even if she did not fully trust the blonde. "You need to get out, immediately, he's coming for you." He then stated and went silent even though she asked who it was that was coming. Perhaps he could not keep the communication going all the time. Would make sense since he was now only a head, all the main batteries were probably in his body.

Then she heard another thump, this time from the opposite direction; from the doors. She turned quickly to see a large, white hand forcing itself between the doors, prying it open with sheer strength. Shaw gulped, aware that there was nowhere that she could flee to, she was trapped. The large Engineer looked slightly different this time, he had a large wound on his face and on parts of his body; burn marks. He lunged at her, grabbing her shoulders and pushing her against the wall with a ferocious light in his eyes. She knew he meant to kill her and without hesitation she opened the medical room's doors with a scream. As soon as she did, tentacles sprang from within, wrapping themselves around the alien's neck and pulling him in. The surprise etched on his face was soon replaced with terror as he saw what exactly was pulling him in. He rumbled with horror as the tentacles wrapped around more it his body, pushing him down and off of her. She quickly scrambled away, the growling from the Engineer loud above her.

She made it back to the main room and grabbed her bag, already made to leave but something stopped her. Slowly she turned her head to peer at the two aliens still engaged in combat and she suddenly had an urge to help him. For one, why did he not try to kill her in the ship even though he did everyone else? He could have easily caught up with her and end her life but he did not. He only attacked her after he had gotten hurt and his ship destroyed. If it was her, she would have been pissed too. Shaw cursed; she had no choice in her mind. She let the bag fall to the ground and she gripped the axe, lounging at her monstrous offspring with a battle cry every warrior would have been proud off.

The alien screamed in pain as the axe cut off one of its tentacles, sending it flying to the side. The Engineer rumbled again, this time it seemed less violent but just as loud, it must have been an exclamation of surprise as Shaw continued to hack at her brood. She screamed as the tentacles were being tossed about, liquid from the separated limbs melting the machines around and spraying on the Engineer, making him grunt in agony. After she separated three of the tentacles from the creature the Engineer gripped the rest of them and pulled them away from his face, making the alien howl in anger and open its mouth, desperately trying to seed the humanoid. But Shaw was faster; she brought her axe against the creature's teeth, making more blood spray and her offspring finally relented, letting go of the tall alien and slumping on the floor, the acid melting the floor bellow.

Shaw breathed heavily as she threw the axe away and fell down on her ass, too exhausted to stand. If the Engineer wanted to fight her she would not be able to defend herself. Lucky for her, he did not seem to have any interest in that. He was staring at her, he too gasping for air, tired from the struggle. His eyes once again held curiosity as they did back on the ship and he cocked his head to the side, studying her.  
"You may thank me later..." she gasped, collapsing on the floor, her stomach too painful for her to keep staying hunched over. The Engineer hurried to her side, peering over her, his large hand brushing over her stomach and she tensed up, holding her breath.

He quickly retracted his hand and once again gazed at her face, perhaps trying to figure out if that had hurt her or not. Of course it did, she though as she tried to get up again, she needed to clean up her wound and close it before the antibiotics wore off and infection set in. Yet he stopped her with a gentle touch to her shoulder, keeping her on the ground. He then spoke to her, a gruff, deep voice that made her shiver slightly but it sounded gentle and comforting, nothing like before when he was growling at the now dead alien. She had no idea what he said but she understood, he wanted her to stay put.

He then got to his knees and wrapped his large arms around her shoulders and bellow her legs, pulling her up with him. Shaw gasped from the slight pain the action caused and from the act itself. It was something a groom did for his bride and she clearly remembered that Charley never held her like this. It made her blush slightly. The Engineer hummed and carried her away from the medical room and away from the gruesome sight of the dead alien on the floor. He entered the room that Shaw presumed was used by Wayland, since it was big and decorated in gold and what seemed like marble, the large bed took up half of the wall on the side and it too had gold-coloured sheets. The Engineer looked around the room and decided to set her down on the bed as he walked back outside, out of sight. She was thankful for the fluffy and comfortable bed and could feel her eyes fluttering close, the adrenaline slowly leaving her body now that the imminent danger was gone. She could not sleep yet though, she still had to take care of her wound and so she gripped her suit's zipper and pulled it down slowly.

She huffed as the suit opened, revealing the bindings completely soaked in blood and sweat. Just her luck, it was worse than she thought. Annoyed and in ever rising pain she knew she needed another dose of painkillers and antibiotics before she could hope to close the wound let alone clean up. She shrugged the suit off and reached for the nightstand, hoping Wayland had some medicine in there and to her delight she found a white box.

"Finally some luck..." she huffed and all but tore the box open but she was disappointed to find nothing but a couple of bandages, a bit of ointment for sore feet and something that looked suspiciously like Viagra. Well, that old coot. Frustrated she kept the bandages and left the other contents inside the box. She would need to get up and pass the dead alien to get to the machine and its medicine.  
"It never ends..." she grumbled and attempted to get up from the far too inviting bed but as soon as she tried to get up the pain shot up from her abdomen and she laid back down. She realized she could not do this without some help. She contemplated calling for him but was he even still in the pod or had he left her?

"Um...Engineer? Are you still there? Hello?" she tried and to her surprise only moments later he came back into the room, a puzzled expression written on his face. There was something he was holding in his hands as he came to the bed to once again gaze down at her. His features twisted as he looked upon her wound, perhaps in worry, perhaps in disgust. She knew she would have been revolted if she had seen it.  
He kneeled next to the bed, close to her abdomen to inspect it. His large white fingers slid down her body to her cut and he hummed as he bent down to grip what he had brought along. It was a large set of pliers, something that could have been part of the medical pod's laser and a leather bag with various tools he could have found in the maintenance box. She did not want to know what he planned on doing with all this and it seemed as if she would not find out as she felt herself drift in and out of consciousness before blissful painless sleep took her.

- 3 -

He had all intentions to end her life but for some reason she did not let his end. It surprised him to say the least. He had already expected to die as his crew did years ago, and part of him thought he deserved it for not aiding them when the crisis fell on their ship. Yet here he was, alive if not slightly battered and burned and deeply in her debt. She had spared him from the shame of dying outside of battle, by an acid-blood, no less. He had to repay her kindness, honour demanded it.

So when he picked her up to carry her somewhere safe so that he could have a look at her condition, he had nothing but her safety in mind. He did not intend to violate her modesty but he had no choice if he wished to help her. To his people, to have an exposed lower stomach or lower back was equal to being naked. It was partially due to the reproductive organs being there and partially due to the close proximity of the genitals. For females, the womb was the most sacred possession they had. The place around it was considered intimate, not something you showed to anyone. On the other hand, female Mala'kak had their breasts uncovered most of the time; it was nothing special to see females walk down the busy markets or streets, their chests bare. Of course it did not stop the males from staring.

When he came back to the weirdly decorated room he noticed that she had pulled down her body suit, exposing her wound. He had a hard time not blushing even though he could see the blood; it was still a place one usually looked at in certain magazines. And yes, he did possess some back in his house but his current heightening arousal for the small human woman disturbed him. It was not right feeling this way, he had a mission to fulfil and that was to save her, not bed her. Fighting off the lust he kneeled beside her bed, setting the instruments aside to inspect the damage. The wound was very deep but clean cut, probably done by some kind of surgical instrument. What really bothered him was where the wound was located. It was exactly where a Mala'kak woman had her womb and if their anatomy was as similar inside as it was outside, it was the same for her.

It would explain why he smelled amniotic fluid on her; it was all around her stomach and lower abdomen, soaked into the odd cloth together with the blood. Someone had cut her deep enough to sever her reproductive organ and take out the offspring. He was amazed she was even alive. This female was a true warrior. He silently bowed to her, honouring her as he set out to do his patching. He brought out his hand to touch her skin and to his amazement it was very soft, no wonder the humans bruised and died easily; their hides were half as thick as his own. A thought he confirmed as he slid his palm down to her cut; he could clearly see the width of her flesh. He grimaced again as he saw the barbaric way in which the skin was held together.

From what he could tell there were some kind of...small metallic wires in her skin. He grumbled at all the blood seeping from her abdomen, he had to hurry. Looking up at her he noticed she was out cold and he thanked whoever was listening that she did not need to feel this part. He took the pliers in his hand and kept his palm on her to keep her still as he carefully pulled the small metallic wires out of her flesh, one by one. Luckily, she did not steer and lucky for her he had basic medical knowledge.

Thorga hummed; pleased that he did not damage her further as he set aside the pliers. Next he pulled the laser he scavenged from the medical-looking chamber in the room with the acid blood was sealed in before. He pulled the lid off of the instrument and began to calibrate it, reversing some of the polarity. He was impressed with this piece of human technology, it almost rivalled their own and with only minor adjustments he could turn the laser into a connector; a device that connected skin through heat like a laser used heat to part it.  
He turned it on and smiled as the blue light came from the device, slowly pulling her skin together. The connector was not like the ones from Mala'kak, this one left a scar wherever it touched and also it burned the skin slightly, smoke emitting from the now closing wound. He was sure she would be proud of it later when she woke; a scar fitting for a warrior.

As he finished, the wound now completely closed and no longer bleeding, he set the connector aside and on the ground. He examined his handy work, satisfied that it no longer endangered her and with that he thought about what he should do with the odd cloth wrapped around her breasts and hips. It was soaked with blood and sweat as was her entire body. It could not stay. He nodded and reached for her chest, grabbing the material and slowly tearing it apart. Her full, if not slightly modest breasts spilled from the bindings, her dusky nipples erect due to the chill of the room. He had to admit it was a very...pleasant sight.

Then he turned his attention to her abdomen. He should throw that cloth away as well but he was inhibited to tear it off of her. It was bad enough that he had seen her pelvic area without her permission but to see her genitals would be an all around offense. He could not do it...but he had to. She could not keep wearing these soaked and dirty clothes. He huffed loudly and hoped she would forgive him for this after she woke up. With that thought in mind he grabbed the cloth and tore it off as well.  
To his wonder, Mala'kak females and humans had almost the same shape of genitals. There were only minor differences, the size of the lips, the colour and the small patch of copper hair on top of her mound. He shook his head; he should not be staring at her. He still could not help the tingle of arousal that sparked in his belly. It had been too long since he had been intimate with a woman. He would have to change that once he was back on his home planet. He got up from his kneeling position next to the bed and made his way towards the small side room near the door. He was glad to find that it was indeed a bathroom like he hoped.

Finding the hidden zipper in his suit he pulled it down, the armour dislodging from his skin and peeling off like a second pelt. He hummed happily as he examined his own wound, finding that it was already healing. The armoured suit had protected him from most of the harm. Then he touched his face and sucked in a long breath as the skin stung; it was healing but very slowly. It needed more time. With his examination done for now, he turned to the shower and cocked his head to the side. Now, how to make water come out...he tried touching the cold metal, no...No body sensors. He then tried to press down on the red triangle next to the tubes and then hot water came gushing out, pouring over his burnt face. He grunted and quickly moved out of the way. He did not think it through well enough, apparently.

Next he pressed on the blue circle, this time keeping his distance and to his relief, lukewarm water came from the pipes. He sighed and wetted the cloth he tore from her breasts, turning the shower off again by pressing the same blue button. He returned to the bedroom to find the female had not stirred. Her sweating did appear to lessen though. He once again kneeled next to the bed and proceeded to wipe the blood and fluid off of her.

She moaned weakly, though from pain or from the cold he did not know. He rubbed the cloth over her chest, the water spilling from the material, between her breasts and down her ribs. He had to admit it was a welcome sight to behold and once more something stirred in his loins. He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts; he had to stop all these inappropriate feelings about her. It was not correct, she would object if she knew of his lusty cravings. Not to mention that he would probably seriously harm her, perhaps even kill her if he attempted to copulate with her while she was injured. Thorga sighed; these speculations were taking him nowhere. He cast them aside as he continued to clean her body.

As he reached her scar he gently dabbed her skin, not wanting to upset or cause any further injury. He let his eyes shift lower to the red patch of hair...it looked so beckoning. He moved the cloth lower, over her curls and down the seam of her pussy, along her thighs...he brought his face closer and inhaled...well, she was clean now; he could no longer smell the amniotic fluid or blood, perhaps a bit of sweat but that was to be expected.

He hummed and stood up, moving to the end of the bed to pull the cloth over her. With a bit of rest she would probably recover sooner. In the mean time he had much to do. Firstly, he would get rid of the acid blood still laying on the floor, he had a bad suspicion where it came from; no, it was more than suspicion, his nose could not be wrong. He knew where the alien had originated. The female was lucky to be alive; his comrades did not share her fortune.

He grabbed the monster by one of its tentacles and dragged it along, no effort showing in his posture. He opened the door of the rescue pod and took a few steps out of it, not needing a breathing apparatus for such a short time. He flung the corpse aside, a few meters from the pod, out of her sight. Just in case she would go outside and see it. Thorga then promptly walked back inside but just as he was about to close the door, he heard a voice coming from the main room, he turned his head towards the floor. The female's helmet was beeping, a male's voice was coming from it; he recognized it, it was the android whose head he had ripped off.

He bent down to speak to the android more easily. "What do you need?" he asked in his deep voice and then waited for the answer. The other was still for a while; it appeared he had been shocked to hear his voice and not the female's. In his situation he would have been too. He decided to relieve the human creation of his worries. "The female is alive and well, she is resting." He added.  
"I am glad to hear that." He android finally answered. "Perhaps introductions are in order; I am David. I was built by Mr. Wayland and have accompanied him and the crew of Prometheus to this planet. Apparently, we have been called here by your people. At least, according to Dr. Shaw; the female in your care."

This confused Thorga; he did not know anything about that. The last thing the council had asked of him was to annihilate the sentient inhabitants of Earth; they did not want any more contact. "I see...that is not, however what you have told me upon our meeting." He pressed. This sounded nothing like the wish for eternal life that the ancient one was striving for.

"Yes...Mr. Wayland had...more pressing matters he wished to discuss." Said the android he now knew was named David. "I do apologize if I said something unsavoury for your culture, I was merely conveying Mr. Wayland's wishes." he apologized and Thorga felt a knot of shame twist in his stomach; he should not have harmed a robot for simply doing what it was built for, it was not his fault his creator was who he was. Though, he did not know he was not organic when he attacked him.  
"I must apologize as well; I believe it would be best to start anew." He said, bowing slightly in acknowledgement even though he knew the other could not see him. "I am Thorga of the west clan; I am the commander of this post..." He confessed, it seemed appropriate but still he paused for a bit; he should not disclose the military plans of his people, he did not know how long he had been sleeping but caution was needed. David did not seem troubled by his lack of speech however: "Pleased to meet you Commander." Said the android, his voice agreeable and then he added: "If I may, I would like to ask a favour of you." And Thorga listened.

- 3 -

Shaw's body was sore like hell; she moaned in discomfort as she shifted under something soft and warm. What-?  
She opened her eyes and gazed down at the crisp white sheets covering her body. The same sheets, decorated with gold that were on the bed she had been resting on. She did not remember pulling them over herself. She gripped the covers and pushed them off of herself; she was shocked to find she was naked. Shaw blushed and quickly pulled the material back over her bare flesh. "What the hell is going on?" she murmured to herself as she contemplated her lapse of memory.

Did she faint? She believed she did but how did she then undress herself and what of her wound? Her wound! Swiftly, she threw the covers off again and to her surprise there was no more blood, no more staples...instead there was now a long, straight scar where the laser had cut her. She brought her hands down to her abdomen and gently rubbed the scarred flesh. It did not pain her to do so. Also, the blood on her skin was gone; it seemed to have been washed away because there were no marks left, no traces of someone wiping fluids away.  
This confused her; she was sure this was not her work. The scar alone was proof enough but then that meant that someone had seen her naked, even worse, someone had washed all of her, some more intimate places included. Shaw's cheeks warmed even more at that realization. She stumbled down the bed, dragging the sheets along with her. There was no way she was going to prance around nude when there was obviously someone else in the vicinity.

As she straightened her back, she was glad to find that the moving did not sting. Shaw tied the sheets around her breasts as she stepped out of the bedroom, grimacing as she passed her discarded suit. She would get rid of it later.  
She wondered where the Engineer was, she could not see him. He was not in the bedroom nor was he in the main room...where could he be? He must have been the one that took care of her wound and also the one that undressed her. It made her feel very displeased to know that he had seen her naked, washed her body. It upset her; she was not happy with her body, not at all. In her opinion, her breasts were too small, her legs and arms too muscular to be feminine...Charley had told her that once, not with words but she could see it in his eyes, the way he looked at her when she undressed for him. It was the first time they got intimate, the first time he had seen her naked, after that she did not undress in front of him again.

She shook her head to clear her mind; she did not need to think of this now, of him. Charley was dead, as was the rest of the Prometheus crew...no, David-David was still alive! She hurried down the hall to the exit, discarding the covers, the cold air inside the pod pebbling her nipples but she ignored the chill. She needed to find a spare suit and go back to the crashed ship, find David and then she would see from there. It was apparent the android could operate the Engineer vessels; perhaps he could help her find a way off of this planet. She only hoped his battery was still working.

Shaw cursed as she rummaged through the supply lockers near the exit doors. There were spare suits but they were too big, Vickers was a tall woman after all and the other ones were for males...she could not use either of them. She huffed, annoyed. She really did not want to put the bloodied suit back on but it seemed she would have to; she could not survive outside without it.  
Then she heard a soft thumping, someone walking outside. It must be the Engineer, she figured and quickly she hid behind the second doors which were broken before by the alien, forcing his way inside. The thumping got closer and closer until finally the doors opened and a strong gust of wind blew inside the pod, the air from outside mixing with the oxygen rich human one. The engineer stepped inside, swiftly closing the doors behind him and he appeared to be carrying something on his shoulder. She peeked from behind her hiding spot and realized that he was carrying David and his body!

"David!" she called to him and hurried from the safety of her hiding spot, glad he was alive. The head of the android that was nestled between the Engineer's arm and ribs, smiled at her. "Dr. Shaw, I am glad to see you are all right." He greeted, his voice and face as serene as ever. Shaw grabbed the android's face from the alien's hand and held it up to her own eyes, chuckling at the blonde's charm. "I am glad to see you're alright as well." She said, as long as his memory chip was fine, she could patch him up.  
The Engineer hummed beside her and she looked up to him, forgetting for a second that he was there. To her surprise, the wound on his face was smaller, the gun shot on his chest almost not present. His healing abilities were amazing. The tall alien stared back at her, blinking and exhaling audibly, his face darker than it was before. She wondered why, the skin on his cheeks was slightly redder than the rest.

Then she remembered; she was still naked and hiding absolutely nothing from his gaze. She shrieked, throwing David's head away as she ran back behind the doors to hide. She could hear the android huff as he was caught by the Engineer, saved from the indignity of being dropped on the floor.  
"Stay there, ok? Stay while I go dress..." she tried, showing the alien her palms, somehow wanting to convey that he should not move from his spot. It did occur to her that she was talking to him as if he were a dog and that made a small smile creep on the edges of her lips. He did not seem to understand her, of course; he cocked his head to the side again and rumbled, the sound similar to what humans made. He was confused.

Shaw had an alternative plan; however she did not completely trust David yet, even more so since she had the slight suspicion that he had knowledge of how Charley got infected. Still, he was here and he could speak the language of the Engineers and she would have been dumb not to use that. "David, I need you to translate for me, can you do that?" she looked over at the blonde head once again nestled in the giant's arm. The android did not seem to hold it against her that she dropped him only moments ago and he smiled at her: "Of course Dr. Shaw."

Shaw nodded, pleased with the answer. "Alright, tell him that he should stay here while I go dress myself." She said and waited for David to communicate her words to the Engineer. The alien's eyes shifted to the blonde and then back to her as David finished his translation and he bowed slightly to Shaw, telling her without words that he understood.

Satisfied, she disappeared behind the doors, going back to the bedroom to fish for some clothes. Vickers had to have something she could wear and she indeed found something; a long, white robe not unlike the one she wore to bed but definitely of better quality. She wrapped the robe around herself, tying it together in the front to prevent it from slipping.  
Now that she was healed, dressed and safe for the time being she had to find a way to get off the planet. She had heard that the rescue pod was stocked for about two years so she was in no hurry or life danger. Still, there was no time to dawdle, she had to find out about the Engineer's plans for Earth, were there more ships, more posts, was Earth still at risk? If there were more ships, could she use one of them to leave the planet?

When she went back to the main room she was surprised to see that the Engineer was still standing exactly where she had left him. Well, at least he held what he promised, she mused. When he saw her, his posture relaxed and he stepped away from the doors and into the living room, placing David's head onto the counter in the edge of the space, his body on the couch. Now that she was no longer worrying about her being naked, she noticed that the alien was not completely dressed himself. She had no idea how she was able to miss it before but she had other problems then. And yes, Wayland was right, he was definitely a he.

The gray, rubber-like suit he had been wearing was gone; instead, his chest was bare and she had to admit he was built like one of those muscled, marble statues. Her eyes roamed lower and the suit was gone from there too, instead there was a soft-looking white cloth wrapped around his hips; she fought a blush creeping on her cheeks as she examined his...other gifts. Quickly she looked away; it was not right to be ogling an alien between his legs, no matter how big he may be and how scantily clad. But a part of her felt entitled; he did see her naked so it was only fair. Actually, it would have been fair if she got to see him uncovered in return.

The Engineer did not seem to mind her inspection, not in the least; as soon as he noticed her staring at his anatomy he hummed and puffed out his chest, making himself seem even bigger. It reminded her of a certain animal back on Earth and she fought a giggle. Was he trying to impress her? She could think of no reason why, though it did make her wonder if Engineer females looked similar to human ones, since the males obviously did. If they did, he had seen far too much for her taste. It was easier to think that they differed, and then her embarrassment subsided, if only for a bit.

Still, she had not thanked him for helping her, possibly saving her life. "Thank you...for helping me." She said to the tall alien, nodding to him in gratitude, hoping he understood. The Engineer let out a soft thrill but said nothing. Shaw turned to the android: "David, can you tell him 'thank you' from me?" she asked, her eyes never leaving the alien's dark ones.  
" Certainly..." he answered and then proceeded to converse in the guttural language of the Engineers. The tall alien's orbs shifted from her for only a second to listen to David and then he said something to her, his deep voice sending pleasant chills up her spine. She waited for a translation and she did not need to wait long.

"Commander Thorga said it was a pleasure. Apparently, in his culture it is natural not to harm females unless the necessity arises. Also, he asked me to tell you his name, which I did. He said it would be only right, considering he already knows yours." David smiled, amused by their conversation. He seemed to think it as a fascinating experiment of sorts.

Thorga...she repeated the name in her head, liking the sound of it. It fit him somehow, but... did he say commander? "Then, he was in charge of that ship?" her suspicions and interest aroused she stepped closer to the man who was patiently waiting for her to finish speaking. "You were about to leave for Earth, why? Were you going to attack us?" when she said 'us' she meant the whole of humanity; if the ship had left with the cargo all those years ago then no one would have survived.

Thorga answered her with his head held high, as if what he had said was just. David translated his words to her: "They were leaving for Earth to punish all sentient life. In his words: 'humans strayed from the right path, destruction was the only solution'." His words made her angrier than she had been in a long while, how dare he judge humans, while he killed her crewmates with such ease.

"Why, what did we do that was so terrible? Why try to destroy us now, after so much time has passed?" her voice grew louder as her anger rose.  
The Engineer's own voice was as calm as before though, their line of conversation was not upsetting him, perhaps he knew she would ask this. All the while, David obediently kept translating: "You misused the gifts you have been given, using the knowledge of my people to kill each other, perverting it. You deserve annihilation by the Black liquid." Thorga's words were accompanied by stiff hand gestures, rigid body language; it was as if he was disgusted with humanity and by proxy, her.

"You wanted to unleash it on us and then it killed you..." Shaw said, bitterness creeping into her words. She came all this way to meet the Engineers, the creators of life only to find out that humans were meant for destruction by the very beings that created them. This did not sit well with her, this scenario was nothing like she had imagined and while it was no one's fault that reality did not live up to her fantasy she was still upset. She could feel her eyes burn slightly; she was about to cry from the frustration of the whole trip, the deaths, her inability to have children only to so cruelly later birth a monster. It was as if someone was making fun of her.

Her words did have an effect this time and Thorga frowned down at her. He said something to her; he seemed to have a hard time speaking. "I am unsure of what happened myself, when I went into stasis everything was well. When I woke, you were in front of me, my crew was dead and I had no feeling for the time that has passed." Saying this was not easy for him, she could tell, for a moment he had a faraway look in his eyes but which part saddened him she was not sure.

"A lot of time has passed Commander Thorga..." she decided to add his standing to his name, she did not know what was considered polite and what not and after what he had done to Wayland and the others, she would not take any chances. She blinked her tears away, now was not the time for them; when she would be alone, she would cry herself to sleep if need be but not now: "You've been sleeping for about two thousand years, humanity has changed." She tried.

As soon as David translated her words to him, she saw his face transform. His eyes pierced her with their intense gaze of terror. He stepped towards her, his large hands grabbed at her shoulders as he pulled her closer, all but shouting something at her. It scared her and she flinched away but he was too strong and she feared hitting or pushing at him, she feared his anger.

"He is asking if you are sure about the elapsed time, rather urgently might I add." This time David did not literally tell the Engineer's words to her and had it been any other situation she would have found his expression amusing. Now however, being manhandled by this giant, being shouted at and with the memory of his brutality still fresh in her mind she found it all but.  
"Y-yes, I am sure. We've done carbon dating on the bodies. The Engineers have been dead for around two thousand years, killed by the black liquid." Shaw explained, she refused to back down; she was not the type to run from danger if it was staring her in the face. The blonde android quickly told her answer to the alien.

Thorga rumbled as he released her, he stumbled to the counter David's head was currently resting on, his large, white hand covering his mouth. He looked completely devastated and she could tell why. He had been sleeping for so long that all of his crew had died, dependant on his leadership. Any relatives, friends, even lovers had probably passed on many years ago. His whole world had died as hers had. Suddenly, she had a strong urge to comfort him, to comfort herself. The tears that she had been fighting were threatening to return in response to seeing his obvious grief.

Maybe she should not have but she still reached out to him, her significantly smaller hand brushing against his back; she was not tall enough to reach his shoulders. His body stiffened at her gentle touch and he turned to look at her with questioning eyes. Shaw smiled feebly up at him. Even though there were no tears in his eyes, they were sliding down her cheeks, she could feel their path from her eyes to her lips, taste their saltiness on her tongue. He blinked at her, much like he did back on his ship; by the way he was looking at her made her wonder if Engineers even cried. But then he turned to face her completely and said something to her, his eyes held no malice or anger anymore.

"David, what did he say?" she asked, never looking away from him. "The commander said that his people are referred to as Mala'kak, not Engineers." And Shaw could not help herself, she laughed. The improbability of the whole situation, her finally getting to meet humanity's creators only to be severely wrong about their intentions, everyone dying and then getting stuck on this godforsaken rock, years away from Earth.  
The alien smiled at her, it looked out of place, bitter as his eyes. This time his hands touched her and he pulled her in by her shoulders, hugging her. Shaw was surprised to find herself embraced by him and she gasped as her wet cheeks were pressed flush against his body. His skin was a lot softer than she imagined and she unconsciously snuggled closer, needing comfort.

Soft humming was coming from his chest, vibrating against her, making her shiver and she realized he was trying to soothe her. Shaw hiccupped, her hands going around his massive torso, grabbing at his back as the dams broke and she let it all go. Her failing relationship, her broken body, her false convictions and dreams, the mission, the alien inside her...all of it. She cried onto him, wetting his body and he did not seem to mind, instead he hugged her even tighter, keeping her safely tucked inside his hold.  
She heard him speak to her through her weeping and for a moment, she could have sworn she understood his words; everything will be alright, I am here for you now. And she cried even harder, glad that he was here, soothing her, holding her, being there for her like no one else had been till now, glad that she did not need to be strong for once.

* * *

That is it for chapter one ~~

In chapter two there will be:

-Some background on Thorga  
-How the black liquid got free  
-More naked Shaw


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Everything you recognize is not mine

First of all, I'd like to thank everyone that took their time to read, comment on chapter one; I have taken your feedback to heart and have pondered how to make chapter two better than the first. I ended up rewriting the whole thing; somehow the words flew better after the second try, so here it is.

* * *

It had been years since he had seen his mother planet, years since he had been assigned to the outpost. He wondered how his father was doing, he was sick when he had left for his mission and Thorga was worried. He had asked to be sent later, when his parent would be better but his plea had been refused. He however could not decline to go. He had visited his father, the day he had left on the star ship to be transferred to the planet of Ora, a far-away outpost, used for military and scientific purposes alike. He could not deny his pride upon being selected as commander though; it had been a great honour to have been personally picked by the Council. He could still recall his father's tears of joy when he told him; not many had been granted such credit.

"You were always talented for this my son..." his father had told him, his body weak from illness, he had been laying in bed for months. "I am very proud of you, I knew you could make it but...remember..." he coughed, still holding his son's hand in his. "Do not lose yourself in your work...all your sisters and brothers...they have all found the greatest happiness life can bring..." he knew what the older Mala'kak had meant. All of his siblings, and there were many, were parents by now. Sharing their lives with their significant others but not the oldest, not Thorga.

"You cannot always live for work...take some time off after this..." he pleaded and Thorga had found it impossible to deny him.  
"Of course father, whatever you desire." He squeezed the older male's hand in his own and for a moment, he could see something sparkle in his parent's eye but it was gone as soon as it came. That day he had left the hospital with a deep frown; he never desired any companionship outside from the periodical mating. Even when he had been a child, all he wanted was to become a warrior, not unlike the ones from the many tales his mother used to tell him.

When he reached seven years of age and was sent to the training camp, he embraced it with all he had. Unlike many others, he never complained about the Spartan conditions, about the long days in the sun, the meagre meals, and the sleepless nights...he would have taken much more for the sake of his dreams. Once he had broken his arm while being out in the field and he kept going, ignoring the pain until he reached the home base; it had left a strong impression on his teachers and peers. For his efforts he had been awarder premature participation in the test of manhood; with only seventeen years of age he had been sent off to a planet to survive for a week, alone, no rations, no weapons, with only his skills for support.

And against all odds, he had returned a week later, dirty and hurt but alive. He had never told anyone what he had seen those days, what he had done but it was not something he liked to share. The times were harsh and so had he been; the experience had strengthened him, made him colder, more disciplined and from then on he had been known as such. Probably, why he had been chosen as Commander for the upcoming mission; the Council knew he would complete his task flawlessly and pitilessly, just what they needed for the destruction of Earth's species.

It had been then, as he returned from his test, that he received the first interested glance from the opposite sex. She had been a general, far above him in ranks and she had sought him out when he was discharged from the medical rooms. He had been surprised, never before then had he lost any thought on females unless he was duelling with them. Yet, she seemed interested, very much so if her flirting had been any indication and at the start and he was slightly intimidated. He worried that he would not be able to please her, such a female surely had a lot of experience, and he did not mean this in a demeaning way; he simply meant that a female of high standing would attract many suitors, let them be mates or life partners and why should she not indulge in her desires?  
She had called him to her chambers and at first he believed it was something of official nature but that thought was quickly dismissed when he stepped into her room.

Her chest had been uncovered, something not surprising on its own but her robes were also pulled up, tied in the back to uncover her abdomen and the small of her back. Thorga had held his breath, the sight new and exciting as she hummed for him, a melody of her want for his body. She swayed her hips as she made her way towards him, her big eyes sparkling with lust, her hands brushed over her exposed abdomen as she then finally pushed him down on her soft bed; he had been captivated and could do little but stare, the powerful image of her scarred flesh forever burned in his mind. Ever since then, he was hopelessly attracted to females with scars, no matter how many he bed, he could not deny his fascination with the power of their warrior spirit; the scars on their sacred place made them all the more beautiful, all the more commanding; warriors like himself.

Now he had spent most of his life in service of the Council and the Mala'kak race, he had no time for parties, for meeting people; he did not even have time for family gatherings but he preferred it that way. He knew that it was expected of him to mate, sire children and then live his life to bring honour to them and himself but he found he could not. Sometimes, he wished he had gone along with his friends from the camp, to gain some social tactics, not only military ones but alas, he never did; he deemed it unnecessary then. Now, he was the wiser but he felt it was...slightly late for that. Even though he was an educated man by all means, he was often told that his manner was not very pleasant. At times males and females alike seemed almost frightened by his presence alone; no wonder they were sceptical about talking to him.

He put that past him long ago though, he was content with living his life for his career, his people but if it really brought so much worry to his father then he would make sure that changed. After all, he had promised his late mother on her deathbed that he would look out for the family and that included any qualms that might jeopardize their health. Therefore, before leaving on the ship he submitted a form for arranged dates; this way females and males could meet and choose future spouses on the qualities they prized. No need for going out, or meeting new people...it was the perfect way for Mala'kak like himself, already married to their carriers to find husbands or wives. He hoped to arrange a long distance marriage with an equally (dis)interested female and then continue as he did before but with the added bonus of sparing his family grief.

After a long and completely unnecessary farewell fest, at least in his mind, he embarked on the warship and between the stars. His father had seen him off and he was surprised to see some of his siblings there as well; he did not expect them to come, especially not after said celebrations but he guessed they were being sentimental. He bowed them good-bye and then proceeded with his duties, there was a lot of work to do if he wanted to prepare his crew for their mission.

The first couple of months everything went well and Thorga had even received an invitation for a date from a fellow army career female; she too had probably wanted to marry out of obligation and that was exactly what he had been looking for. For the years, as the ship stayed on its decade long course towards the outpost, he kept in touch with her and they seemed to be on the same wave length; immediately, he had told her of his intentions, he did not plan on becoming a family man and she had confirmed that she too was only interested to be husband and wife on paper alone. Thrilled, they both agreed to sign the papers as soon as he returned, none of them caring if they needed to wait; they were not bonding out of love after all. As the crew then finally went into hypersleep for the rest of the journey Thorga had felt that the mission would be a success. He had no idea how wrong that impression was.

As soon as he awoke from the decade old sleep, he had been ready for duty. Mala'kak bodies were far better with copping with prolonged stasis and he was used to it by now, of course nothing as long as this but he saw little difference in affect. He had only been slightly lightheaded for a moment, until he gathered his thoughts and realized where he was and what for. Then, he quickly got up from his chamber and he was pleased to find that the rest of the crew had awoken as well.

The landing on the planet had been easy; the atmospheric breach had been without problems, it seemed that the weather had been kind to them, no strong winds, and no storm. He had been warned of the planet's swift climate changes, apparently the winds could get quite brutal and for that reason all the residents were protected by large dome structures, all the greenery, the research had been done inside. He did not mind either way, his tasks would not leave him much time for exploration or appreciation for his whereabouts.

After they confirmed the weather was stable, the dome opened up for their ship and it landed in the centre of it; the large metallic plates quickly resealed themselves back into their primary place as soon as the vessel touched the ground. Thorga had exited the ship first, his company following him only a few steps behind and he had been slightly surprised to have been greeted by an envoy.

They had showed him around the compound and he appreciated it, it would have been embarrassing to have gotten lost on his first day. The bath chamber was very large, big enough to fit twenty males, he had been told that all shared the same washing place, no special treatment; he had not been surprised, he had not expected to have his own, that was a waste of space on an already cramped dwelling and besides, he liked conversing with his men. It built camaraderie. The dining chamber had been made for all as well, the officers had their own table though, still Thorga had always eaten with his brothers in arms and that would continue. Regardless, he had to admit he liked having his own room, a place to have some quiet after a long day. He had shared rooms many times through his career and mostly...the young ones would be loud, excited and while it was kind of endearing he needed his rest.

That day he did not go to sleep however, he felt he had done enough of that for a while and instead he went through the files of the mission, memorizing the details. He would not let any mistake be made on the first task he would command. The next morning he had visited the bath chamber and quickly washed himself of any sweat that may have clung to his skin, dressed into his new uniform and then walked down the halls to the science department. They had been surprised to see him, apparently commanders did not make it a habit to visit their crew but he wanted to see firsthand what was being done on his ship and in the dome itself; he wanted complete control of his domain and the loyalty of his people. He was aware that such missions were hard on some, destroying a whole species was not an easy thing to do, and he had been conscious that problems did occur on similar expeditions.

Then he went to the engineering deck and was pleased to hear that the whole facility had been operating at maximum efficiency. Good, he thought. The rations had also been properly stored and produced, the water filters had been working, and the medical bay fully stocked and prepared for patients... it was safe to say that he had been delighted at the state of the facility and the well oiled machine that was its crew. If all went as it had till now, the mission would be an easy one but not all did.

And here he was now, years away from his planet, years since he arrived to the outpost and years since he had seen his family. He did not expect to miss them as much as he did but what really bothered him was his father's condition; had any of his siblings kept him company when he was away? He did not know, he did not hear from them, he could only hope. Since he was the oldest child, he always took care of everything, his mother had told him once he was too protective, keeping them from growing up but he disagreed, he was their older brother and he would look out for them since their father was away most of the time and their mother was in the hospital, bedridden. Some time later though, he had to admit to himself that he was wrong in cuddling them; some of his brothers had become...misguided.

Warhe was the youngest of their clan and he had always been gentle. For his test of manhood he had been sent to Earth and during that time he had...developed feelings for the wretched species. He believed that they were worth saving, that everyone was worth saving but Thorga disagreed and after Warhe had found out that it would be his older brother that would get the honour of decimating the species he so loved, he refused to talk to him again. It had been years now since they have spoken and Thorga was not very keen on rekindling their relationship.

Aside from Warhe, with the rest of his siblings he was on relative good terms and he hoped they would care for their father while he was unable to but somehow no one was telling him how he was. He expected that they would have...he had asked one of the technicians about the messages he had sent and his heart was calmed slightly by knowing that the large distance between the two planets made communications very difficult. Yet, why was he still able to receive messages from his prospect mate and not from his family? He had a feeling that something was wrong back home but since he was completely unable to do anything about it he tried keeping his mind on the task at hand.

That too however, was proving tricky and he would forever regret not paying more attention when he should have.  
After two weeks of staying on the outpost, the crew sent him word of a crashed ship near the cliffs. Of course, he had instantly sent people to investigate and they had reported back that the vessel was of Mala'kak heritage which troubled him. There were no plans for extra ships to dock, nor had the sensors detected anything, foreign or native. It brought up the question why. That morning, after receiving the information from the dispatched unit, he went to the crash site to have a look himself and from what we could tell, it was a standard Mala'kak cruiser, built to hold four people. Yet, there were no bodies on, or near the crash site. It was peculiar.

He instructed his crew to keep their suits on, just in case the vessel was carrying anything poisonous and he returned to the dome, for the time being, to report this to the other domes and possibly to the Council. Yet, as soon as he set foot into his ship, he could tell there was something wrong, there was a distinct smell around...the halls were eerily quiet and a few steps in he could see small droplets on the floor. He bent down to see clearer and his eyes widened; the smell, the colour... it was blood. He stood once again, pulling his atomizer from the holster, a standard weapon for officers. Slowly, he walked down the hall, following the tiny trail of blood. It appeared to take him to the hangars. It made his body break out in cold sweat.

He ran, hoping that he was wrong but when he reached the hangar the doors were wide open, the containers inside moved and one of them was missing. He hummed in worry; the containers housed the black liquid, a biological weapon created for the destruction of humanity, it was never meant to be set free. A survivor from the crashed vessel had to have taken it but why?

Then he heard a deep growl, somewhere between a thrill and a hum, a sound of terror for his kind. His head snapped up and he listened, his ears straining to detect anything and indeed, there was a barely audible voice coming from the direction of the bridge, similar to a whimper. Immediately he ran towards it; he knew he should have been more careful but the instinct to protect his people was stronger than any second thoughts he might have had.  
There, in front of the hangar doors that led to the bridge, laid the body of his navigator and Thorga kneeled down beside him, checking for a pulse. To his surprise, his heart still beat, if only faintly and he tucked his atomizer back inside the belt to focus all of his attention on his comrade.

"Bohra, can you hear me?" he asked, slapping the other's cheek lightly, not to hurt but to bring him to awareness. The smaller male moaned as his eyelids fluttered open. "Commander..." He tried to speak, his pale hand reaching out and Thorga grabbed it tightly, trying to comfort him. "It is alright, conserve your strength, I will take you to the medical bay." He said, already pulling the navigator to his feet and wrapping his arm around his middle to help him walk. Bohra winced, clutching stomach even though Thorga could not see any blood on him.

"N-no...there is no time...he opened...the container." The smaller Mala'kak said, his eyes pleading. Now the commander understood what was wrong with him; he had been infected. "We will take care of that later, there is still time...I am taking you to receive medical attention first." Thorga said, his voice firmer than he felt, he could see the liquid spread across his crewmate's face; it will not be long...he had minutes, at best.

"Commander, you must stop him..." Bohra shrugged the taller male away, standing up on his two feet; he knew it would be soon. "I still have a little bit of time..." he said as he moved towards the doors and Thorga let him, understanding that he wanted to die honourably, in battle and not stuck to tubes in the centre. He would have wished for nothing else had he been in his place.

"Indeed...Bohra, go close off the other hangars, we cannot allow more containers to be opened." He ordered and the other male nodded as he made his way down the hall to the other rooms and Thorga turned from him, allowing him privacy in his pain. His death would not be quick or easy, it was only correct of him to not witness his agony and show him the respect one warrior did to another. He too would not wish for others to see his body weakened.

Thorga turned his communicator on which was implanted on the collar of his uniform. "Commander Thorga speaking, we have an intruder on our ship. Capture alive if possible but keep in mind he has one of the containers opened." He announced and his voice buzzed from his talker to those of his crew, spreading the information. He let his fingers slip from his neck as he stepped inside the hangar, he looked around for the trespasser but he could not see or hear anything out of place. Here, all the containers were still in position, stacked on top of each other in neat forms, building shapes. Silently, he crossed the hangar, always staying vigilant of his surroundings and soon he could see the bridge, it was shining in green light, someone was operating it. There was a male Mala'kak standing with his back towards him in the middle of the elevation; he was busy typing something into the controls. Thorga kept from sounding his growl at the brazenness of the intruder; he would suffer for attacking this ship, his men.

Thorga crept behind the other Mala'kak, his atomizer drawn once more as he pointed it towards his enemy's skull. "Hands where I can see them." He hissed, almost wanting the slightly smaller male to make a mistake so he could end his honourless life. The other turned to him slowly and the commander's breath caught in his throat; he knew him.

"Hello brother...I cannot say it is a pleasure." It was Warhe; the youngest of his siblings. He was speechless, not even producing a single hum from his usually very vocal cords.

"Warhe...What are you doing? Have you lost your mind? You have attacked an outpost sanctioned by the Council...my outpost, hurt my people, and endangered hundreds more..." it was difficult to speak; he did not know what to say or think. From all the strongholds on the planet he had chosen to infiltrate his, he could see why though. With their DNA sequences similar, he could pass the planet's tracking system; they had the relic of the analyzers installed, not believing they would need something better so far away from home. The machine must have recognized most of the sequence and let him pass and for that he felt great guilt.

"Have you?" he asked back, letting his arms fan out, a cruel smile plastered on his lips. "What is all this good for Thorga; tell me because I do not understand it." He continued. "All this killing, all this violence? How are we any better if we kill the humans?"

"I could ask you the same." Thorga hissed; the younger male's voice was making him angry, he could hear the soft hums of malice behind his brother's otherwise calm tone. He kept the weapon pointed at Warhe's temple. "Humanity has reached a point from which it cannot recover, they must be destroyed. For the sake of us all..." he tried but the smaller male would not listen, instead he growled, baring his teeth.

"The council does not get to say who dies and who lives! Who are we to decide that they are unworthy?" He screamed, his eyes now piercing, glowing with fury. Then, it seemed to die out and something completely different took its place; sadness. "Who are we brother?" he repeated, his tone pleading and Thorga's lips parted but nothing came out, instead his hand slowly lowered the gun from his sibling's head.

Warhe moved closer, his hand gripping his older brother's palm, unshed tears in his pale eyes. "We must end this, all of this." He gestured all around them. "If we do, we can save millions of lives. It is a small price to pay." He nodded.

Thorga only watched him, his eyes glazing over with an emotion he never felt before. "What do you say brother? Will you help me?" Warhe asked, he was smiling up at him now.

"You would sacrifice hundreds of our people to aid humanity?" Thorga inquired.  
"A hundred lives for a million. A small price." Warhe said, his voice pleasant as was his face.  
"Indeed it is..." the oldest said as he once more positioned the atomizer to his relative's head. "Tell me where the container is and I will not end your disgraceful life." He offered; his voice steady.

Warhe screeched with anger, he believed he would be able to recruit him but he had been wrong. "Shoot me then! Kill me! But think, what will father say when he finds out?!" and once again Thorga paused, he knew what father would have wanted; he would have wanted to see his son alive, despite the shame he brought on himself and his children and wife. That second was all Warhe needed and he grabbed the atomizer, turning it around and then firing a single shot inside the body of his brother. Thorga was too shocked to make a sound; he gazed down at his killer who was smiling up at him.

"I believe it is me who will end yours Thorga." He said, backing away and turning from him, letting the gun fall from his hand and onto the floor with a loud metallic thud. He was going to the console once more, probably to open the hangar doors.

He knew he was going to die as he sank down on his knees, the atomizer having blasted a portion of his organs from his body and onto the ground. But he could not let it end as it did, he would not. It was his fault that it came so far, he should have known his brother's ill siding with humanity would bring trouble in the future, they were both stubborn. Because he was not careful, his crew suffered. He would not make the same mistake again and let feelings get in the way.

His hand, still steady grabbed the fallen atomizer and he shot, like his brother before; a single bullet entered the back of Warhe's skull and exited between his eyes, blowing a portion of his face away as well. The body rolled down the short stairs leaving a bloody trail behind until it stopped right next to the doors.

Thorga's vision began to blacken as he stared at the motionless corpse of his sibling and he too fell, his heavy bulk hitting the bridge floor; he could feel his insides churn from the impact, some spilling free around him. He gurgled, blood rising up his mouth and out his wounds, the pain from the hole was nothing compared to the grief he had caused his father; he would lose the oldest and the youngest of his children. He wished he could have handled it differently, preserved their lives but it was a little late to be sorry now. He closed his eyes, surrendering to the darkness.

The next moments were all a blur of voices, faces and time as the crew finally made it onto the bridge. The horror in their loud hums and thrills was evident as they ran to him, pressing on his wounds, trying to help him. Then he saw the worried face of the doctor bend over him, he had medical liquid in a syringe and he pressed it into the flesh of his arm and instantly he could feel the calming effects of it spreading through his veins, healing his tissue. He moaned, trying to move but strong hands held him down and a soft voice spoke to him, urging him to stay still. Thorga tried to speak, tell them of the black liquid that was still somewhere on the ship, of Bohra, of his brother but the blood clogged his throat, the only sound he made were gurgles.

They grabbed him and lifted him off of the floor; the liquid had made enough progress to allow minimal movement. He could hear them talking about putting him into the hypersleep chamber, the stasis would slow the blood loss and the liquid would have more time to repair the damaged flesh. Thorga fought this, weakly, he had not yet told them of the dangers, he could not go to sleep but he was too frail to resist as they fastened the breathing apparatus on his face and closed the lid of the chamber. With a last long exhale, his eyes closed once more and he went to sleep; a slumber that would last for two thousand years.

-3-

Humans were frail, he had noticed. Shaw, as David had called her had cried herself to sleep and was not out for half a day. It could not have been the wound, it was completely healed the moment he reconnected her flesh. She must have tired herself out, of course he did not know all that happened but he had seen some of it; her hellish offspring for one.

Either way, he had a lot to do. He had spent the time the female had been resting to repair the android. They have been conversing about human life, their customs, their culture...he had been surprised to find so many different ways of life on such a small planet. It was rather interesting really.

"...they seem to prize certain ways of clothing and music; I have researched my database and have found that they prefer rather large hair and pants that are wider at the ankles." David was just explaining about one of his extensive studies about human ways of life, this time it had been about the subculture of hippies. Most of his neck had already been fastened back onto his body and David was feeling energized, the batteries fuelling him once more.

Thorga hummed, thinking about what he had just heard. "Fascinating...though I must admit their fashion choices are sometimes...questionable." he said as he attempted to plug the nerve endings into the appropriate ports. Human technology was very advanced, though different from his own, he had some problems understanding how things worked, despite being technologically savvy in his own culture. Lucky for both of them, David knew exactly how to repair himself.

"Thank you Commander." The android said as he tried to move his hands and he found it to be easy, with a smile he brought his palms to his face and looked at them as if this was the first time seeing them. "Everything seems to be working well but...hm, no; I cannot seem to be able to move my lower body." He concluded.

"I see, not a problem. Just a moment..." Thorga reached into David's neck with a set of pliers and pulled out a group of green coloured cables, one with a dark circle around it and another with a white one. "Connect the plug into the appropriate the port, mind the colours please." And he nodded, doing as he was told. A small spark buzzed as both ports were plugged in, energy now being distributed along the length of his body.

"How is it David?" Thorga asked, curious as the android got up and flexed his limbs, then he moved his hips and lastly his neck; it all worked.  
"It is wonderful Commander; I am in your dept. Now, if we could do something about this tear..." David said, looking at his neck wound, seeming to be displeased about the imperfection.

"I had been the one to cause it, it is only fitting I make it right." Thorga said as he pulled up the remodelled laser he had used on Shaw previously. "I am sure it will work for synthetic skin as well."  
"Well, even if it does not...more damage cannot be done regardless." David replied good naturedly and sat back down, allowing the tall alien to work on his neck; the anti-laser worked its magic on him and under five minutes, the wound had been resealed; Thorga had took his time to make the scar smaller. He wished he could have done the same with the female but alas...

"David, is it appropriate to ask you questions about Shaw?" Thorga asked, in his culture it was fine to do so, unless of course you had ill thoughts behind said questions and since he did not...he did know of some species that found talking about another person whilst they were not in the same room as very rude. He preferred to be careful.

The android turned towards the alien, looking quite pleased with himself. "Of course, ask away, as humans like to say." He was double as happy to have made it rhyme.

"Does she dislike me?" he asked; she had seemed angry with him, the tone of her voice had been harsh, unkind...and he did not know what he did to earn it. "Perhaps I deserve it...I should not have gazed upon her abdomen, even if it was to help her. It was not right to violate her sanctity without her permission." He figured, his fingers intertwined as he contemplated the reasons and the more he thought about it the more he believed he deserved it. Had he done such a thing to a Mala'kak female, he would have received a beating from her, if he was lucky.

Still, he could not find it in him to be sorry for seeing her exquisite flesh; the lovely scar was still imprinted in his mind. He was surprised with himself to have found her attractive even though she was on the brink of dying and his affections had been far less than desired. But if he was honest to himself, he found her ability to inflict such torture on herself, then barbarically patching herself up only to walk around for who knows how long with a bleeding wound and in the end even helping him very admirable. Any warrior would have been proud to tell that tale as his own. It was part of what made him desire her, even in the moment when she was on the brink of death. Perhaps he even...felt that they had something in common; they both had survived an injury they should not have.

He absentmindedly rubbed the spot on his stomach that had been shot open; the place was now healed, only a harder bit of skin remained, almost not see able to the naked eye. He was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he did not hear David speak.  
"...Commander, did you hear me?" the android asked, a bit more loudly than he did the first time and Thorga only nodded, embarrassed he had been caught daydreaming about her.

"Excuse me, I did not." He said, nodding to him as an apology.  
"It is quite alright, I was saying that I do not think that she dislikes you. Forgive me but...why would you helping her be an issue?" David asked, his hands comfortably tucked behind his back; he was as intrigued with the natural beings as always. He did still find it hard to understand some aspect though.

"With us Mala'kak...seeing a female's abdomen, the whole area around her womb and in the back as well is considered very intimate." He explained, slightly surprised that it appeared not to be so with humans. Was seeing her breasts the worse part then?  
"I see...as far as I know that area is not see as such on Earth. Commonly, you will see men and women alike dress in special underwear, which they call swimsuits..." he gestured with his hand as he spoke, he found this as weird as Thorga did, it seemed. "...and then it is alright to be almost naked but if you see them in regular underwear, it is not. I never did understand that...but back to answering your question in simple terms, no, humans of her culture do not consider that place intimate." He finished.

"That is...quite inconsistent." He finally said, unsure of what exactly that meant and if in their situation the 'swimsuit' scenario applied.

"If she did have a problem with you it might be because of your convictions to destroy humanity. I do not think killing the crew of Prometheus played a major role; she does not seem to hold it against me that I infected Mr. Holloway and they were lovers." David then added as an afterthought and Thorga did not like it one bit.

"She has a mate?" he asked, a low growl coming from his chest. He somehow overheard the rest of what the blond had to say.

"Had, I believe is the accurate term." Said David with a smile; he turned towards one of the consoles on the wall, opening them up. He wanted to check on their supplies before they went anywhere. "I think they had been having problems back on Earth as well." He typed a code inside and the console sent him back a reading. He looked satisfied about what he had read. "Although, of course I think it was not easy to get along with Mr. Holloway regardless. Ah, the supplies will last us...one year and two months if I calculate your needs in as well."

Thorga considered his words as he got up from the couch he had been sitting on, storing the items away for later use. "I did not wish to offend her, I will apologize for my wandering eyes but not for my views about humanity. I still think their destruction is the best choice." He said as he stood behind the android. "Perhaps it would be better for you to wake her, she might not be glad to lay her eyes upon me."

David contemplated this and agreed, he did not mind doing it. "If you wish, though I believe it would not make much difference to her. You have already seen all you could have after all." He smiled and made his way towards the bedroom but the alien's deep voice stopped him for a moment.

"Indeed...I would like to request a translator, perhaps a teaching guide to help me understand her words. I am sure you have some." He had brushed the other's remark off, not wanting to think about it. They needed to be able to communicate if the necessity ever arose.

"Of course. I will check my database. Commander..." he swiftly turned to the alien to confirm that he had been listening, he nodded and then he resumed his task in waking Shaw.

-3 -

Shaw was sleeping peacefully, better than she had in a very long time. She only awoke when she felt a dent in the bed. When she opened her eyes she was amazed to see David peer down at her, his usual smile in place and his neck reattached to his shoulders. How long had she been sleeping?

"Good morning Dr. Shaw. Your rest was pleasant I gather." He said, moving away from the bed and to the closet. He opened it and started to rummage through it.  
She looked at him, curious. "It was...what are you doing?" she asked as she pulled the covers to up to her chin, still slightly shy about being too bare in front of men, even if one was an android and the other an alien...and the fact that they both already seen all that was to see.

David returned to the bedside and displayed what he had been searching for. He set some clothes on the bed, everything she would need under a suit to feel comfortable. His consideration touched her and she was also glad that he picked pieces that were not too big or too showy, just simple black, cotton clothes. "Thank you David..."

"My pleasure doctor. Now...how is your wound doing?" he asked as he moved to the door to give her space.  
"It is great actually...as if I was never bleeding. Not considering the scar of course." She smiled at him as she slowly got up from the bed, eyeing the fresh clothes with want. The robe she had on now smelt like sweat, she was sure. This also reminded her that not only garments needed a change...she needed a shower. At this moment she envied David's self cleaning synthetic skin.

"You were quite lucky that the Commander had been there. I could not have aided you in my state." David had said and she was certain she heard remorse in his voice.  
"Yes...I know." She did not like the thought of owning the tall, pale alien anything. "How did you..." she started but David thankfully answered her quickly, saving her the embarrassment of stuttering.  
"The Commander had been repairing me all through the night, he is rather talented might I add." He said as he looked himself over, pleased of what he was seeing. She smiled at him; he had a tendency to be vain, always taking care of his appearance.

"He is..." she affirmed as she got up from the bed and made her way towards the bathroom. As she entered she could see that there was a big shower chamber, just what she would have expected from Wayland; lavish and large. There was a rack to set her things on and she did just that, pulling her robe off and feeling self conscious again, she really needed some underwear. "Um, David...?"

"No worries Dr. Shaw, I am leaving, I still have a ration box to prepare." She heard his amused voice come from outside.  
"Thank you..." she knew they needed to move somewhere safer; the small rescue pod would only sustain them for so long and really, she was for more worried about the storms. The strong winds could take the pod along, dooming all inside. David left when he heard the water splash from inside the bathroom; she seemed fine and he left.

The warm water felt great running down her body, cleansing her. She sighed, enjoying it for a moment until her thoughts caught up with her again. She gazed down her body, the scar so obvious against her pale flesh, her hand ghosted over it. Fate was so cruel sometimes...she had been trying to conceive for so long, so many years of complicated times with Charley, so many disappointments when nothing had worked...and now she had finally become heavy with child but...  
She could still remember the day she had gone to the doctor because she could not get pregnant, they had done many test only to find out that she was unable to conceive. Apparently it was the result of a childhood illness, one she had gotten while travelling with her father. It did make sense then but it was very hard to accept the fact that she would never be a mother. It was not easy for Charley either; they had separated for a while and they were still working on it when they left for LV-223.

She shook those thoughts away, they did not matter now. Charley was dead and so was any chance of ever having children, especially after all that damage to her womb. Then her eyes spotted a small gray button, it was right bellow the buttons that activated the water; it had a tiny picture of a blade on it. She had never seen anything like it, not in a shower chamber at least, so she pressed it and it clicked open, offering her a small razor. Well, that was very practical, she thought. She decided to use it; after all it would not be good to shock Thorga or David with excessive hair, even if it might be amusing to see it. But more importantly, she felt better shaved; she liked the feel of it.

Shaw stepped out of the shower minutes later, smelling and feeling fresh. She picked up a towel that was placed on a rack next to the sink and wrapped it around her torso; even if they have already seen everything, it did not mean they had to again. When she returned to the bedroom, David was gone and she quickly set out to dress herself. The cotton clothes fitted nicely overall, though she had to tie the underwear on to make them a bit tighter; the shirt and the leggings were perfect.

"David...Commander Thorga?" She called for them when she did not see them in the main room. She was still unsure how to call him, for now it would be better to be on the safe side and add any titles he might have, as she had done before.

"We are here Dr. Shaw, by the doors." She heard David call to her; he was near the exit of the pod and the tall alien was standing right next to him, now once again clad in the rubber-like armour he had been wearing when they woke him up. He was also holding a bag and when his eyes turned to her, he gave her a small bow. She nodded back to him, a bit surprised about his behaviour; he seemed so different on the ship, then again she is not very pleasant to be around when she wakes up from hypersleep either.

"We are packing, the Commander has told me that this planet has frequent storms, like the one we witnessed." David said as he filled his own bag with cans of food and some water bottles, he also appeared to have taken some equipment with him. "We must move to a safer place. We have been waiting for you to recover first, of course."

"You could have woken me up." She said, going over to the lockers to find a suit, though she knew there was none in her size already. She would just have to make due.

"You need to be completely well Dr. Shaw, we are after all unsure if there are any dangers still lurking." Said the blonde as he moved to the couch and pulled something up from it; it was the suit with which she came to the pod. It looked washed and patched up, the damage it had received was almost gone. "You repaired it! Thank you, no other suit would fit me." She took it from him and quickly started to slip her leg inside.

"Of course." He dismissed her thanks as if it was nothing and slung the bag over his shoulders and fastened it around his ribs. He then took his helmet and placed it on his head, clasping it together tightly, even though he did not really need it.

Thorga spoke behind her and she turned to him, giving him the courtesy of eye contact. "He says we have to hurry, the storm will be here soon. He has suggested we go to the nearest dome and wait it out there." The android translated. She nodded to both of them, she was excited to see another ship, examine the differences and similarities, perhaps not all were warships after all, and she might learn some of their culture.

With that said, they left the escape pod and Shaw wondered if it would get blown away by the strong winds, if this is the last time she would see it. It saddened her to think she would lose another bit of humanity along with it, only alien technology and buildings left. Certainly, she still had David and he was every much as human as she, she did not care if he was built by Wayland, he had a good heart and that was what counted. Though, she still had her suspicions of what happened to Charley but she was sure she would find out one day.

"Cheer up Dr. Shaw, I am sure it will still be here when we return." She felt David's hand on her shoulder; he noticed what was bothering her. It made her wonder just how much she had showed on her face; then again the android was very perceptive. She could see the Mala'kak turn to them, curious; he had been walking ahead of them, showing them the way. "I'm fine." She told him, and he seemed to understand as he resumed his stride.

The journey was extensive; none of the vehicles were still operational, some too damaged and others out of fuel. Shaw wondered if Thorga would have any problems being outside for so long, without a breathing apparatus but he seemed fine. Actually, she was the one having trouble walking so long, it was harder to do so with the suit weighing her down.  
She heard the Commander hum beside her and she looked up to see that he had slowed down and was now right beside her, his brow ridges furrowed. He must have been worried because she was staying behind. David was still in the front however, scouting or giving them privacy, she did not know.

Thorga's hand brushed against the glass of her helmet, pulling her from her thoughts. It startled her and he immediately retracted his hand upon noticing it. Shaw wanted to move away from him, his concern woke odd feelings in her chest but she stayed, not wishing to offend him. He hummed again as he moved to stand in front of her, blocking her path and he moved his hands as if he would be pressing on something. Shaw stepped back as she watched him, trying to figure out what he wanted but he just kept repeating the motion with his palms; she shook her head and Thorga growled, frustrated that she did not understand him.

Quickly, he moved towards her and even though she flinched away, he did not stop this time. He wrapped his hands around her knees and her shoulders as he lifted her up from the ground and into his arms. Shaw yelped, not a sound she made very often and her arms wrapped around his muscled neck to keep some balance. Now she understood what he had wanted to tell her before, he motioned for her to sit down and rest but since she did not...it seemed he decided to carry her instead. She wondered if she was heavy to him but seeing how strong he was before, when he flung her crewmates around as if they were nothing, she guessed not. He thrilled, pleased that she did not fight him as he began carrying her towards the nearest dome.

Her body was very thankful for his thoughtfulness; her breathing was returning to normal and the small sting she had started to sense from the scar was gone, her mind however, not so much. It felt far too comfortable to lie in his arms and he was being so gentle as well; gripping her flesh lightly not to bruise her, holding her closely to keep her safe and warm from the already picking up winds. It made her feel...relevant. A sentiment she did not get much from Charley.

Thorga hummed; glad she did not fight him, he had a slight suspicion that she would but he was pleased to be wrong. The sound vibrated up his chest and through Shaw, making her shiver. It was surprisingly calming and also...exciting. She shifted in his arms, getting uncomfortable with their closeness and her building desire. If he could tell she was getting bothered he did not show it but she had a slight suspicion he knew; for a moment his eyes snapped down to her, wide in surprise and his humming stopped if only for a moment, until he returned his gaze to the dome and the sound continued once again. Shaw blushed and looked away, at the rocks bellow, at David still walking in front of them... at anything but him.

A sudden gust of wind made small rock particles fly up onto her helmet and she gasped in shock. This was how it started before, a small breeze until the storm hit in, then large chunks flew everywhere. She still remembered how they cut at her suit as she was being flung around, still clutching the Mala'kak head only to be eventually saved by David. She knew they had to hurry if they wanted to make it.

She did not need to say anything however; as soon as the small rocks took flight Thorga picked up the pace, all but running towards the now very close dome. David was right behind him, surprising her with his agility; she should have expected it, he was exceptionally well built. "This reminds me of a prior time Dr. Shaw, equally as much hurrying, equally as fast approaching wall of wind." Said the android with an amused tone lacing his words and Shaw would have found it amusing too if she had not turned her head to see said wall of wind. Just as last time the storm was coming in fast, carrying off anything in its way; the rescue pod too was lifted into the air like it weighted nothing and it disappeared between the dust.

The storm was approaching faster than they were running. The first wind blows had already reached them, throwing larger chunks at them, one had crashed right into David's helmet, cracking it and Shaw was glad he did not really need it to breathe. Luckily, the dome was right in front of them and they sprung to reach its doors; Thorga made it with relative ease but David was having some trouble keeping up, his mechanical fibres were no match for the Mala'kak's dense muscle and he got swept up by the current of air. Just in time, Thorga's arm reached out and grabbed his ankle, pulling him into the dome and closing the doors with a loud bang.

David slowly stood up from the ground, dusting himself off in the process; his helmet had a hole on it where the crack had been, from landing on the floor. "Thank you Commander." He said.

Thorga nodded at him as he set Shaw down and she hurried to the android's side, checking if he was alright. "Your sentiment is appreciated, if unnecessary. I am completely functional." He calmed her, discarding the helmet, it was useless now.

The wind howled outside, loud bangs could be heard on the metallic doors as the rocks were continuously flung against it. Shaw was glad that the Mala'kak built such sturdy structures, aside from the sounds nothing was coming through. She only hoped it would stay that way.

-3-

Thorga recognized this dome; it was home of the agriculture division. It was a perfect place to stay low for now, perhaps he could even find a small ship and they could get off of the planet. He stepped to a console, located next to the doors and activated it, bringing up a sizeable blue map of the area. It appeared the life support systems for the greenery were off but the ones in the living quarters were still operational. That was all they needed; he would have much preferred to stay away from the crop houses, he was not sure how the plants have fared. They may have evolved into poisonous growths; he was after all, aware that the division had done a lot of genetic experiments on them. Or...they turned out like the gigantic plants of a nearby outpost, large and dangerous flesh eaters. He would rather not risk it.

He turned to the female and the android who were still chatting away near the door. He listened intently, trying to recognize a word or two of what they were saying; having implanted the translator aid into his suit's system he could learn faster but still, it did not completely supplement the android's help. He was fortunate his people were such fast learners; he had a clear advantage against humans who needed a lot longer to memorize a language. Of course, he would not be able to speak fluently any time soon but he would understand and perhaps utter a half a sentence.

His translator aide indicated that they were discussing the android's well being. He grimaced in thought; apparently the sound _ou-keei_ meant 'well'...he memorized it, hopeful to use it later. He also noticed that the blonde kept referring to the female as 'doctor'. That would make a lot of sense; it would explain how she was able to help herself when in such a dire situation. He would make sure to address her properly, she too did always call him by his title; not that he would mind if she did not. Somehow, it made them seem more...distant; she definitely called the robot by his name only, made him wonder why not him as well.

"We should leave for the ship; as soon as the storm clears we can take off." Thorga called to David in his native tongue and the blonde nodded, proceeding to tell the female what he had said. The Mala'kak turned away from them and made his way down the oval halls of the dome, towards the small escape vessels located in its middle. He could hear the two humanoids following him close behind and he reminded himself to go slower, to help them keep up.

If he managed to find an operational ship they could sail through space on it for decades; the vessels were made to house twenty Mala'kaks at a time for twenty years, transporting just two humanoids and an android would surely pose no problem. He would also have to find a way to disinfect the whole planet once he made it back home, who knew if the acid bloods were still active on its surface.

He opened the doors that led to the observation deck and from there they would need to follow a hall to finally reach the port. Thorga did his best to keep his eyes away from the floors, away from the bodies that littered the ship. He could tell some were females, probably researchers from Genetics; others wore military armour like his own and judging by the way their corpses were laying, they were trying to defend the personnel and failed.

He looked away; he could not bear to gaze upon them. If only he had not gone into hypersleep...he could have aided them. Now...he was nothing but a relic of his time.  
Then, a soft touch landed on his back and his head turned around to gaze upon the human female, concern in her eyes. He was surprised of her care for him, he did not expect it but he found he did not mind it, in a way he liked it even. "Am...okay." he tried saying, granted it was a butchered version of her language but she understood what he had tried to utter; her eyes got as wide as they could and her lips parted to make way for a gasp. He had to admit it was endearing and the smile she gave him seconds later was worth the embarrassment any horrid pronunciation may have caused.

"Good..." She said and removed her hand from his back, making him miss its warmth.

He guided his new teammates to the port; there were ten small ships and Thorga moved to the control centre to check for their operational status. He turned on the console and it beeped orange, showing him schematics of the vessels and he typed on them, checking their status closely. He was pleased to find they were all useable, well stocked with food and water, ready to launch at any time.

"I have opened the first ship so that we may leave at any time...as soon as the storm clears of course." He said to David and the android ushered Shaw towards the pod he had opened for them. It was around the size of the human ship, but of course it was shaped like a half-moon; a trademark of his people. He did not understand how humans could build such...odd looking vessels but as long as they did what they needed to...

Thorga watched David help Shaw enter the Mala'kak ship through the cargo hold and he became aware that she had yet to calm her breathing. It appeared that the human bodies needed a lot more time to heal than his own. He still had the medic liquid in his system, it was helping with the burns and any other injuries he had but she did not have that luxury. The reconnecting laser had done its job in patching her up and in sanitizing her wounds, and it seemed it had worked for a while but if she pushed herself too hard...well, she still needed more rest, obviously, give her body time to heal itself. His gaze shifted down to her abdomen and he studied her for a while as she slowly disappeared inside the ship, her hands caressing just under her own tummy. He was unnerved at the possibility of her womb being damaged; it was a female's greatest pride after all...a gift many men wished they possessed. So much so, that some gave their lives to create life; ritual sacrifice was the only way for males to be able to bring the gift of existence to others, not only take it. He knew that Warhe too applied but if he had been chosen or not...it would remain unknown.

Shaking the thoughts away, he followed the two inside the small vessel. He knew the operation had been a success; there was no reason for any lingering damage. With that last thought comforting his uneasy mind, he closed the hangar doors and made his way towards the bridge; here, the room was not made by metal alone, half of it was made of glass-like material and it was possible to see the stars as one journeyed through space. Thorga always did prefer this; he stepped to the controls and began typing in their destination.

First, they would go back to Earth or any near outposts and the female and the android would be left there, then he would make his way back to his home planet to report of the happenings on Ora and receive an update of the human situation. Silently, he was hoping he would not need to return to destroy humanity, a thought he never imagined having.

* * *

That's it for chapter two.  
In three:

-Thorga and Shaw try to wrap their heads around each other's respective cultures  
-David finds a friend onboard the ship


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Everything you recognize is not mine

The update,  
it is late  
Flowers has no excuse  
School she had to choose

* * *

Not five minutes ago had the storm stopped and Thorga was walking down the hall to the living quarters, making haste to inform his new crew. That thought made him pause, why was he thinking of them as his teammates? They were not and neither was he part of their team. Yet... he had a feeling that they were...something now. She helped him and he aided her, that at least made them acquaintances did it not? He would not call their bond friendship, but in a weird way he did trust her to keep his back safe, sure sign that they were comrades in arms. He only trusted a small portion of people and she was part of that circle now. He was not sure what to think of it entirely.

Dismissing these thoughts he continued to the rooms of the two. He decided that it would be rude to just enter without being allowed to, even if this was his ship, they occupied the room now; it was their personal space and any Mala'kak with a shred of politeness would not just barge in. So, he hummed in front of her door, signalling that he was there and then he waited. She would need to open the entry for him; he could not do it by himself.

He heard her call out, he was not sure what she had said or if it was even meant for him so he kept waiting. After a second or two she called out to him again and he hummed back to her but resumed to wait in front of her door. She groaned and he did not understand why she was angry, he was being civil, waiting for her consent. Her loud thumping feet sounded from inside and only moments later she swung the door open, an annoyed look on her face.

"Come in..." she said, the same words she had used before but this time her tone was irritated. He figured she had given him verbal assent to enter but even if he had known then he could not have done so, not without her physically opening her door for him and then stepping back, allowing him passage with her body.

"Well...? Come in." She said again, this time less annoyed but more surprised that he had yet to budge. He was not sure how to tell her what he needed her to do, he had noticed that the android was not in her room; he was probably inspecting the ship and its supplies, double checking if everything was as it should be. Very smart of him, Thorga concluded but how to convey his meaning to her without him? He would have to improvise.

"Can...not." he finally said, the alien words still feeling odd on his tongue but he would try harder. After all, it was a polite male's duty to be able to speak to the female; he had learned many a dialect from his home this way.

"Why not? I'm letting you in." He did not understand most of the words but he had a hunch about 'why'.

Thorga tried to gesture to her what he needed her to do for him to be able to enter. He stepped back from the door and moved to the side, then motioned with his hand for her to come in. She stood still, just staring at him. Now he was the one who was becoming annoyed and not necessarily with her. He did not even need to be permitted entrance, why was he trying so hard to make it happen? Still, he kept at it; he was not the type who gave up on a challenge.

"Move...can come." He tried, again showing her what he did before and this time she seemed to understand what he wanted. She mirrored his moves and he hummed, pleased to have been allowed entrance. He gazed around the small room, it had four cots and they were stacked on top of each other, in the corner was a small table with consoles and entertainment screens and in the back was a window which showed the outside, for now still the dome but soon one would gaze into space.

The female stared at him, waiting and he realized he had been quiet for a while. He turned to face her. "Doctor Shaw...leaving." he explained and pointed towards the window, then he lifted his palm up, mirroring the ascent of the ship.

She nodded if a bit slowly. He noticed she had been staring at him for a while and he wondered if it was because he was so alien to her. He saw no fear in her eyes; he could only wonder what she was thinking when her eyes laid on him but judging by the way her gaze shifted from his eyes to his lips and lingered there...he almost hoped his assumptions were correct and she was indeed ogling him. He puffed out his chest in response to her wandering eyes, making himself seem even larger and buffer, humming a melody to soot her ears as well as her sight.

His noises must have snapped her out of it because she blinked and then quickly turned from him, only to step to the window and gaze outside instead. He cocked his head to the side, perplexed about the situation, but he would not force her, instead he walked back to the door. "Leaving..." he said again and left her to her thoughts. He had many of his own to pounder about...he would need to keep his interest in check; it did not do to try and court a human and a wounded one at that. He had to admit he was slightly ashamed of his behaviour but he found he could not restrain the sounds of courtship coming from his chest. He would need to meditate on this, control his body in front of her in the future.

As he was making his way down the hall back to the bridge he heard soft talking coming from inside another room from the living quarter's section. It must be the dwelling the android had chosen for himself. Thorga decided to interrupt whatever it was he was doing, albeit not too rudely. Once again, he stepped in front of the door but this time he spoke, knowing the other male would understand him. "David, the storm has settled, I am about to launch the ship." He informed and waited, not a moment later the door opened and the blonde stepped out to the hall, looking pleased. "Wonderful news Commander; I shall accompany you to the bridge and assist in liftoff."

Together, they made their way back to the controls. Thorga thought about asking him who he had spoken to but in the end he did not get a chance to ask, David answered him before he could. "I was surprised to find your vessel inhabited by an AI; I am quite charmed by her immense data base."

Ah, now he understood. "Yes, the science vessels are all equipped with AIs, however warships have no use for them. I did not expect you to be able to communicate with it before the craft has even lifted." Said Thorga as he moved to the consol system, turning it on; a green light shone around the room and charted a map on the glass as the whole structure shook from the dome's movement. It was opening, as the first had; once more the Mala'kak could see the sky of Ora and he wanted nothing more than to finally sail into it.

"She..." he heard David say and he looked towards him, confused.  
"Not an 'it', the AI is a 'she'. I have plugged my mainframe into hers, we have spoken." The android explained, his nimble fingers working away on the console, typing in the course of their flight. "She has informed me on many interesting facts about your people and I her of mine."

"I see..." Was all Thorga said, he did not mind if the blonde wished to know more of his culture. He was quite interested in humans as well but he did notice that their route was...off. "This is not the path for Earth that you have mapped." He stated, the ship having now lifted from the metallic ground of the dome, the tremors of the moving plates shook the whole structure.

David seemed surprised by his statement. "Yes, I believed you would want to return to your planet." He turned his body to look at the Commander who gazed back at him. "Would you rather not?"

"I am transferring you to Earth first; I cannot take you along." Thorga said, his brow ridges furrowed. Did these two really think he would take them along, expose the location of his home? He was not an idiot, he knew not to show them the way, give them a possibility to attack his people. He might have taken a liking to them but that did not mean he would put them above his teachings or his people.

"I believe Dr. Shaw would appreciate seeing your home planet, not her own." And after a small pause he added: "There is nothing there for either of us."

This surprised the Commander. The two humanoids did not want to return to their home planet? No matter if he had slept for thousands of years, he still wanted to return to the place of his birth but the human and the android seemed not to have such strong feelings. He wondered if it was because Earth was such an ugly place; there had to be a reason for its destruction notice after all. Looking at it this way it made a lot of sense. However, he still did not wish to take them along. The Mala'kak home planet was a sacred place for his people; only the aligned species could enter it. He had high doubts that the council would allow humans to settle on it, he doubted he wanted them to either.

"If I go to Earth, I might be decommissioned." He heard the android's smooth voice call out to him, calmly but he was still sure he detected a slight anomaly in it; fear perhaps. His gaze shifted to the blond as he looked to the control panel, seemingly in deep thought. "They will want the information I have to offer, they won't be interested in keeping me operational. Not after being built by Mr. Wayland...they will want to keep the power, not share it."

Thorga did not know who 'they' were and what kind of authority they had over the android but it did look like David was worried. He found he was displeased with it; no one had the right to simply end someone's existence for nothing but greed. "Did you do anything honourless to deserve such an end?" He asked finally, still slightly suspicious of the Earthlings, his wakening still fresh in his mind. He reminded himself he should not forget that they were honourless beings, creatures that attacked injured females, with deep greed in their hearts.

"I was born." David answered simply, as if it meant nothing to him. His eyes stayed on the console however, betraying his unease about his words. He was ashamed perhaps, definitely upset enough not to be his usual courteous self and return eye contact when speaking. This troubled Thorga more than what he had said, it meant it was probably true.

For a moment he was unsure what to say, if he even should say anything. He was a soldier, not accustomed to heal people's hearts or ease their suffering. He could repair broken bodies but not broken souls. His mother was good at it though; she always knew what to say or do to calm him. Thorga shook his head; he did not want to go there now. He settled on placing his large palm on the androids shoulder, gripping it and then shaking gently; it was what soldiers did to acknowledge each other's achievements, as if saying 'good work' or if saying 'hold on, you're almost there'. He was not sure if it would help but he did it anyway, having an odd wish to comfort the blond.

"It is not your fault they cannot value life, theirs or those of others." He said and he meant it. Only honourless beings, like the Ancient human he had killed inside the warship would disregard another's life, not even knowing if they deserved death and in the mean time strive to lengthen their own existence. He found it repulsing and if he could, he would kill the Ancient one all over again, if for nothing else, then for disgracing the now tomb of his fellow soldiers with his filthy presence.

David looked up at him, some smile returning to his face and Thorga was glad. Perhaps he did have something of his mother's inside him, regardless of what Warhe used to say. The android then once again returned his focus to the console, checking it over and noticing nothing was written on it, he then turned to the Mala'kak, standing at attention before him, clasping his hands behind his back. "What course should I set Commander?" He asked and in that moment it was as if Thorga's crew was back, the acid bloods never ran free, never killed them; it was a powerful moment of déjà vu, a memory of Bohra, his navigator. The younger Mala'kak always looked up to him with a smile and pride shining in his eyes to work under him. The friend he had failed to protect.

There was only one thing he could say to him, to the remembrance of his second-in-command: "Home." And with a smile and a nod David turned to type in the coordinates for his mother planet.

Shaw was having a hard time understanding the alien. First, he was after their heads and she was sure he would have killed her too had she not run away but then he made a full turn and saved her life. Granted, she helped him too but something told her that was not all there was to it. And then there were the ever odd and uncomfortable moments when they were trying to communicate. Though the last encounter, only perhaps a quarter of an hour ago, made her snicker. He looked so frustrated when she did not understand what he wanted from her.

She was however very surprised to see him being so well mannered. Perhaps she should have not been, seeing as his species was a lot older than hers and had certainly a waste number of courtesies. Still, she could not shake the image of his rampage from her mind, it was how she met him and she had to admit she was having a hard time letting go of that perception. Shaw was trying to; it was not fair to him, to Thorga to keep regarding him as a brute, he had only been nice to her. Almost treating her like a lady at times. She wondered if that was part of his culture as well.

Shaw suddenly felt tremors radiating off of the ship walls and she hurried to the window to gaze outside. The ship was moving, levitating and turning in the air, bringing itself into the right position to begin its interstellar flight. She felt her heart beat faster, excited to finally leave the damned planet and leave the bad memories behind as well. She then realized that neither David nor Thorga told her where they were going; she may be leaving this wretched place but she may not go anywhere better. Thorga may have tricked them, taking them along to 'study 'them. Something she was ashamed to admit Wayland might have done to him, had he had the chance. Abruptly she flung her body away from the mirror, quickly making her way out of her room and down to the bridge, following a long corridor, not unlike the one on the warship.

Shaw cursed at herself for being dumb and gullible, how could she trust an alien with his motives? He may be taking them to dispose of them or as he had said, to Earth to fulfil his original mission; the destruction of Earth. But she be damned if she would let him do it easily.

As closer as she got to the cockpit, the louder the machine sounds got and when she turned a corner she could finally see them; David and Thorga were both standing in front of the large window, gazing outside at the landscape that was slowly being left behind. Seeing that David was there too made her relax; the android would make sure they were safe. She was not sure why she trusted him completely but she knew she could.

"We're about to leave Dr. Shaw." David turned to her, nodding slightly in acknowledgment of her presence.  
"I see that David, but to where?" She asked, a little bit of annoyance slipping into her voice as she crossed her arms on her chest, waiting for an answer.  
"Why, to the Commander's home planet of course." The android said, smiling pleasantly, as if the answer was obvious. Shaw was not sure if that was good or bad. Her brain was fighting the realization that she would get to see the planet where the Engineers hailed from, the creatures that gave humanity life. Excited was an understatement but she had to be sure: "And what of us?"

Shaw could see Thorga stare at them, an intense look in his eyes. He was listening to them intently and she was sure she heard a faint sound come from his chest again, very similar to the one he made inside the warship, right before he tore David's head off. She suppressed a shudder and the android noticed it. "Are you worried Doctor? No need, he is being quite courteous." He said and smiled. Shaw's cheeks coloured a bit, knowing she had been caught but before she could retort the android continued to talk: "He wanted to set us off on Earth and then continue to his planet. Without obliterating ours of course."

Shaw blinked, surprised. "So...we aren't going to Earth but to the Engineer home planet?" she had to be sure, ask again. It had been her dream for such a long time and now that she did not need to worry to get executed or something of the sort she was eager. David chuckled, amused by her fast hand gestures and her over enthusiastic eyes. "Indeed we are." He opted not to mention that that was not the initial plan. He figured she was better off not knowing Thorga was planning to ditch them on Earth and then continue on, though he did not make any mentions of mass genocide.

Shaw's face broke into a smile and she all but hugged David's breath out, lunging herself at him and laughing joyously at the news.

Thorga was more than surprised; what had just happened? Had she not been upset only a moment ago and now she was dancing with the android? Females, they were the same everywhere; he rolled his eyes and turned to the window to watch the vessel slowly gain altitude as he mulled over the sight. First they were angry with you and in the next second they were all over you, showering you with affection. He never got it, he was not sure he ever would. What really interested him however was why she had been upset when she reached the bridge. She had been fine, tired perhaps but fine when he had left her room and then she seemed like she could ram something rather sharp inside his flesh. He shook his head; females, a mystery.

He felt a soft tug at his hand and he turned to look down at the human Doctor. She said something to him in a soft voice and his translator beeped, telling him that he sound so-rr-ee meant she was apologetic. He did not know what for but since it bothered her he nodded: "It...ok." he said, using the word he knew. She smiled and nodded back, pleased with his answer and she stepped back to look out of the window as well. And as the ship finally left the planet and the stars shone around them Thorga felt the pull of his planet, he could not wait to see it and after so much time has passed, he hope he had something, anything to come back to. If not, he would be in the exact same situation as his new crewmates were; alone.

His brow furrowed and he walked away from the window and from the bridge, wanting to try and establish communications with the home fleet but in privacy. He still did not want the Earthlings to see everything of his people, especially not military secrets. He would also love to change from the itchy armour into something far more comfortable, perhaps he would dine something small as well and even though he had not had a rest ever since he woke he was not eager for any sleep anytime soon.

"Commander, we will reach Midas in approximately two weeks and two days." David called after him, once again mimicking Bohra's signature pose and for a moment Thorga wondered if the android knew of his friendship with the deceased Mala'kak and had used it to reach the location he had wanted but no...That made no sense, there was no way he could have known. Thorga sighed and rubbed his eyes; all this suspiciousness he had towards them had to stop, if they wanted to live on the small vessel for two weeks they would need to trust each other. He turned back to the others, a plan forming in his head.

He knew that warships were a lot faster than the small convey they were on now, they would not need to be strapped down nor would they need to fear the backlash of the high speed interstellar flight due to the tremor softeners built inside the hull of the ship. But what really mattered for the situation at hand was they would not have any hypersleep chambers. The vessel was simply too small to have any. That meant they would need to interact with each other, at least at a minimal level. These kinds of ships were built for short distance personnel transportation and nothing more; the good part of this was that the facility was amply stocked with provisions and entertainment.

"David, after we reach interstellar speed, I'd like us to meet inside the entertainment chamber." He said, already taking the position of ship captain. The android nodded in understanding. Thorga then turned to Shaw and bowed to her, even though she could not understand what he was doing, he still wanted to show her respect in his cultural way, it was only proper. After bowing to the female and nodding to the male he left the bridge, estimating he had about ten minutes to spare, enough to redress and then make his way to the 'fun' side of the ship.

He entered his room, the chamber he had made his after he boarded the ship. He did not take the captain's room, it would not have been right; instead he opted for one of the personnel's small beds and housing, that way he and the two Earthlings shared the same sized rooms, symbolically they also shared the same position. He wanted to let them know he did not consider himself above them, did not want to 'rule' over them. The first step to show them he meant no harm.

With a sigh, he reached for his body suit and he found the hidden button, which he pressed and pushed down on to open the armour. Only a moment later the suit disengaged from his body and slid down his legs to pool at the floor. He flexed his arms and rubbed the back of his neck, glad the heavy armour was finally off. He would have liked to clean himself with washing powder but it would have to wait for later. He stepped over to the wardrobe and pressed it open, taking out a long, black piece of cloth and pulled it over his head, the soft, clean material slid along his skin like silk and he revelled in the feeling. He then pulled at the bindings on the cloth to tie them around his waist, making it resemble a toga. Pleased, he closed the wardrobe and exited his chambers, slowly making his way to the recreation and entertainment rooms, also called RER.

He was slightly out of practice in wearing civilian clothes, the cloth restricted his usual soldier-like long steps and he had to tone it down; he frowned, displeased about the slower progress of his walk and also the fact that his body seemed to have forgotten how to behave inside every day wear. He would have to practice some more inside his room later, so no one could see his silly tries. He would surely never live it down if David saw him, the Doctor on the other hand might not even know what he was up to, that didn't make it any better however.

Ignoring his slightly off walk he pressed the doors to the RER and they opened, revealing the two Earthlings were already there, waiting for him, chatting away hurriedly, as if they would be fighting. The female's face was furrowed with an emotion close to worry and the android seemed to try to calm her. He caught a couple of words he had heard before; ki-l, dain-ger and Err-th...he was not sure what she was saying but the last sound meant Earth, that he was sure, a sound he heard both make many times before. The word was the name of their Planet.

The others he was not certain, though he was sure he had heard them being uttered while they were running from the winds. Were they thinking that their planet was in peril? From him perhaps? Maybe...he would have to check with the council about his orders but he would go out on a limb and say that the Mala'kak had no wish to extinguish Earth, not any more. They would surely send more soldiers if they did; when the original platoon did not respond they should have sent a search mission to Ora, but they obviously never did. It also made him ponder how insignificant the whole outpost must have been to them...

He noticed that the sounds of the Earthlings have stopped and he fixed his gaze at them. They were both staring at him, looking as if they had been caught. He pushed the thoughts aside and hummed at them soothingly, hoping to lessen their worries. David smiled at him and gestured to the window, the planets outside were passing so quickly they resembled a shooting star, they were already in interstellar flight. "Here we are Commander. What is on your mind?" he asked.

"I believe it is time we get to know each other a bit better. As Commander it is also part of my task to strengthen the bonds between individuals." Thorga said. He could still remember the first fight he had to stop; two of his officers did not see eye-to-eye about the deployment of DNA cleaners to a planet not much different than Earth. Had they been sent, the bombs would have eradicated any creature with the right DNA. It would have been mass slaughter, a plan they hatched for Earth as well. One was for it, the other had moral inhibitions and Thorga had spent many nights trying to make them reconcile. In the end, the planet did get cleansed and one of the officers left the base, his mind would not let him rest about what they had done. Thorga understood, it was not easy to follow orders, do what must be done to protect the free galaxies from potential threats but if he had to sacrifice himself, his unsoiled soul for the sake of the innocents, he would. It was never a question to him, others did not always have it as easy as him though...

"Bonds?" The android asked, his hands once again tucked behind his back. The Doctor watched him expectantly; the blond must have translated what he had said when he had been in deep thought. He would have to stop doing it; he was aware that it was a side effect of prolonged hyper sleep; the brain refuses to stop working in overdrive after being forced into slumber for so long. Oh, he was doing it again...he shook his head to get rid of the distracting thoughts.

"Yes, if we are going to be spending a lot of time here...I am afraid we will not be able to ignore one another indifferently. What should be done is what soldiers do when they are put together, getting to know each other for better cooperation and success of the mission." Thorga said, mimicking the androids' stance.

David nodded, thoughtful of his reasons. He turned to Shaw and started to translate. Thorga was pleased to note that he was starting to understand their conversations and he was sure that in a few days he would be able to tell if the android was indeed doing a decent job at retelling his words. But there was something else he was curious about: "Do tell, how did you find your way, I believe I was not considerate enough to remember you couldn't have known." The Mala'kak asked. The blond turned to him, a smile on his face: "The AI told me, do not worry, we were not inconvenienced." Thorga could not help but to smile back at him.

Then the Doctor looked over to him, stepping from the android to the alien and her gaze shifted from his face down to his robes; he figured she must have been surprised at the change of his attire. He was aware she was interested in his culture; it was a good common point to start with. "David, tell Doctor Shaw that I will answer any questions she may have about my people as an offer of bonding of our species." He said, careful not to make any sudden movements.

As the android spoke to the female, Thorga could see how her face changed; she was definitely interested in what he had to offer. The alien listened patiently to the Earthlings talk, silently imprinting the words into his mind. "She says she would love to Commander."

"Good. Then please, ask away." Thorga smiled, knowing he used a combination of words that David had before.  
"She would like to know how important honour is to your people." Asked David, quickly conveying her words to him.  
"I see...To us Mala'kak honour is everything. If you are without it, you are nothing. You will never marry, you will never become a parent...you will never be buried like a person." He answered, slightly uncomfortable with the last part. He knew Warhe would have been the recipient of such a burial. "You will be discarded into space, onto a passing rock, your body forgotten and your name erased." He finished.

"She says that is very cruel." The blond's voice was without emotion as he said it.  
"Life is cruel, the universe is cruel..." He pondered a bit before continuing: "I aim to make it better, to bring honour to my family and to my people. I want to see this cruel universe become a place of safety for the children that will come after me." He said and he really wanted this to happen. The things he saw as a child...he did not want his offspring to ever witness anything like that.

Shaw stared at him for a bit before she started speaking again. "She says she did not expect you to say that."  
"Am I that brutish in appearance that it would make her surprised that I do not only have murder on my mind?" he asked with a tinge of humour in his voice, though his face remained impassive.  
"Dr. Shaw apologizes if she offended you, she was only curious."

"No offense taken, I assure you." His hands spread out in front of his chest, showing he was not bothered by it. "I promised to answer any question she might have, I mean to keep that promise. But if you would allow me a question of my own; why is it that you humans act so...honourless at times? Why do you hit on injured beings, ask for immortality whilst in the same breath take the lives of innocents? It is one of the prime reasons why we were dispatched to end your species..." he was not sure how to ask nicely, without sounding too harsh but he was allowed to know of their ways as she was of his.

"Dr. Shaw would like me to tell you that not everyone was like Mr. Wayland; he is but one evil man in a species of kind beings." As David said this, Thorga could tell he did not believe it but he still told him. The females eyes were burning with determination, she wanted to make him to consider her words as true.  
"There are those without nobility everywhere, indeed." He finally said, not accepting her reasoning but also knowing that his own people were far from perfect. Perhaps, he had the misfortune of meeting some of the worst humans and not the good. Though, David and Shaw seemed worthy of respect in his eyes.

Shaw nodded, seemingly pleased with his answer. "She would like to thank you for saving her life and now helping us leave the planet. Without you we would have been stranded."  
Thorga smiled and thumped his chest, letting out a short gruff sound, he accepted her praise and thanks. "She already thanked me and there is no need for her gratitude; any Mala'kak would have done the same for a female of any species." He said but he was still visibly pleased by her words.

"Yet you helped me too, and I am not a female." Said David, this time he spoke his own words.  
"I was regretful of what I did...it was not right. I apologize as well." Said the alien, he already tried to make it up by repairing him but he still shuddered at the thought of killing someone innocent like David. Had he been made of flesh he would have been dead. Thorga did not want to think of such a dark stain on his soul.  
"As you said, there is no need for it." David smiled and like that he forgave him, probably has some time ago and it made the Commander feel even worse.

"I'd like to ask something else...Doctor Shaw came here to meet the 'Engineers'...what did you expect to learn from us? You can already travel through space, you already know of your evolution...what else could you want? Medicines?" He asked, he knew Shaw wanted to meet the 'makers' of humanity, from his conversations with the android and with the female yet the real purpose eluded him.  
"Ah, but we did not know if we were 'made' on Earth or constructed by something else, something bigger than we are; god." Explained David and Thorga furrowed his brows. He had read in his reports  
that humans believed in a multitude of deities, every culture seemed to have their own beliefs, he had found it very decentralizing at the time and he still thought so. It seemed like humans loved to put a lot of weight on gods and goddesses for many things, again surprising.

"We Mala'kak are not 'god', nothing like that. We are a species of humanoids like you. One of our chosen ones was granted the honour to give his life in order to construct yours, that is all. Only a male of the highest honour can do such a thing." He tried to explain.

This seemed to really interest Shaw and her eyes shone as she kept speaking animatedly to her blond friend. Thorga found it...cute in a way.  
"She wishes to know more of this." Said David.

"Very well... In our culture, to give life is the greatest achievement. Nothing can compare with the joy of giving existence to another; therefore many males envy the females for their child bearing abilities. We cannot do it on our lonesome but we can give life by ending our own." He started, doing his best to explain such an important part of his culture. "A male can apply to be sacrificed on a desolate or recently cleaned planet to give it his DNA to the water. If he is accepted, there is a large feast in his name, then he is taken to the planet, all the while he cleanses his body and soul of darkness so he can give nothing but purity to his descendants. As he...is ready to die, he drinks the black fluid and his body degrades only to reassemble into something new..."

"Is that what happened on Earth?"  
"Yes...Ogrun of the West gave his essence for your planet, a very honourable man...I've read about him when I was but a child...of the stories of his kindness and bravery. He was known to be quite the humanitarian in his life, not a soldier like me." He said.  
"We are descendants of this man?"  
"Every living organism on Earth is."

Shaw was quiet for a bit as she processed the information and Thorga wondered if it was something she did not want to hear, if he had upset her with the truth. Yet, she then raised her eyes to him and they were full of tears, sparkling with an emotion he could not name. It took his breath away, making an involuntary hum leave his chest. She spoke to him, her voice heavy and he snapped his head to the blond, waiting for the translation.

"She is happy to finally know of our maker, our god in a way. She is pleased to find our creator to be such a kind person." Said David stoically.  
"He was not a god, he was but a man." Thorga reaffirmed.  
"Yes...but in a way a parent is god to a child, Ogrun is god to her." The alien was not sure what to make of that statement, what did it even mean? He never saw his parents as deities; luckily David noticed his confusion and tried to lift it: "A child depends on a parent for guidance, protection, love...it is what humans expect from god." He said and in a way Thorga began to understand why it was so important for Shaw to find this 'god' of hers. He knew from David that she had been orphaned quickly and most likely hungered for something like that...not having a parent to love her she probably looked for it elsewhere. Ever since losing her father, she might have been unknowingly trying to find him in space.

"I understand." He said, looking down at the emotional female whose eyes were still sparkling with tears. He slowly put his hand towards her, gently touching her shoulder and repeating what he had done to David before when he tried to sooth him, albeit softer. Shaw's smaller hand gripped his much larger palm and squeezed, smiling up at him. Thorga could not help the long thrill escaping from his vocal cords; he liked the touch he was receiving.

David smiled to himself as he watched the two converse: "I will take my leave, Commander, Doctor..." he nodded to both and turned to leave. He was looking forward to further communication with the AI. There was still so much he could learn, so much she could tell him and unlike his two fleshy teammates, he did not need any rest. He was happily planning on chatting through the night with her.

"Good night David." Said Shaw to him as he left and he heard the Commander call after him as well with his deep voice: "Pleasant reading David." Obviously one of them knew what he was up to. No matter, he still quickly left the two to speak with a fellow artificial intelligent being.

After the android left Thorga did not know what to do with the female. He could not talk to her and he was pretty sure she was uncomfortable in his presence alone. He did not want to diminish their bonding progress so he opted to leave as well, perhaps try to establish that link with his fellow soldiers on Midas or take a long bath...that sounded pretty well about now.

"Doctor Shaw..." he called to her and was pleased when she looked at him, surprised by his ability to pronounce it rather well, he was surprised himself. "You...sleep." he said, the words slightly butchered. "Tired, need...sleep." he explained further, using his hands to try to emphasize his point. It seemed to work.  
"I am slightly tired..." she said, he could understand everything she had said; the last half an hour or so listening to the human language was very helpful. He was having trouble with the next sentence however: "...will go...sleep. You too Commander?" he still got what she wanted to say and he was touched by her worry and courtesy. "No, was sleeping...long, not again..." after the Hypersleep chamber he was in no hurry to go back to slumber.

"Yes...I understand." She said rubbing her chin until finally, she straightened and he could tell it was slightly uncomfortable to her; maybe the scar was still giving her troubles? "You need sleep..." he reaffirmed and bowed to her, ready to leave until he remembered something: "Can call Thorga...like David." He said, thumping his chest lightly with his fist. There was no need for her to refer to him as 'Commander', firstly he was no longer one, all of his subordinates were dead, and his mission was over. Secondly, he did not desire to be called by his title when she obviously called the android by his name. It kind of hurt his pride.

Shaw nodded, surprised: "Ok Thorga...Call me Elizabeth then." She offered, smiling. The Mala'kak found he liked the sound of his name in on her lips. However, her name was very hard for him to pronounce, his brows furrowed. "Elizha...zhabeth..." he tried, embarrassed at his own inability to say her name. The redhead laughed, amused and he felt his cheeks darken at her obvious mirth. "Elizabeth." She said again, offering him a second try at the pronunciation and he took it. "Eli...zabeth..." he said, prolonging the last syllables but otherwise, not half bad.  
The female seemed pleased, and she grinned at him, nodding. "You ...call me Elli. Easier." She laughed, the alien only misheard one word, otherwise he was getting quite good at this 'English'.

"Ok." He said, smiling back, softly humming a tune of amusement. "Should...take you to...room." Thorga then added, bowing, a Mala'kak was always courteous to a female and he wanted to do it, surprisingly enough.  
"Oh...thank you..." she was once again surprised at his behaviour. It made him wonder why, were the males on Earth so rude as to never offer to walk females to their rooms? Never bowing in greeting or respect to each other? He was not pleased with the lack of gentleman acts on the planet.

He extended his hand, telling her to move first and when she stepped towards the hall that led to her room, he followed her closely behind. They were both silent as they made their way to her chambers, he because he did not know what to say and she because she did not know how to say it. Only too soon did they reach the metal door that hid her room. She turned to the tall alien: "Thank you for taking me to my ..." He did not understand the last word but he knew what she wanted to say and he bowed to her again.

She opened the door and entered: "Good night." She said from inside her place.  
"Good night." He mimicked, turned and left for his own room, all the while a small smile played on his lips.

* * *

That was chapter three

Was is to come in four:  
-Mayhem in space


	4. Chapter 4

Here is chapter 4 :)  
Disclaimer: Everything you recognize is not mine

I would like to thank everyone that took their time to read this and a special thanks to my reviewers; I read every single one and I do take them into account when I write, so again, thank you and I am sorry you had to wait so long for chapter four.

It took me a while to write this; as per usual I had to rewrite it several times...somehow it never comes out good on the first try, haha.

* * *

Currently, she was trying to fall asleep but rest was not coming easy to her. The excitement of the past day was keeping her up; first she had tried to stay still but it did not work. Then she tried to roll around on the crisp, hard, white but still surprisingly comfortable alien bed. After that had failed she laid down on the floor, she had to admit she had been slightly desperate but not even that helped. Shaw could not sleep.

Giving up, she got on her elbows and gazed around the almost empty room. There was a small table-like metal box in the corner, a window from which she could see the stars, a moving door that hid the equally empty bathroom and last but not least, the bed she was trying to sleep on. The place was very simple as was the rest of the ship, not including the RER.

Shaw sighed, her mind shifting to the tall, pale alien that was presumably enjoying his rest. Their talk had been fruitful, to say the least. She had never expected to someday learn of the creators of Man, not like she did, face-to-face. Sure, she wanted to do some digging, perhaps find some artefacts or ancient writings but to actually get to talk to an Engineer...not in her wildest dreams. Adding to the surprise, Thorga was actually a very cultured alien, it seemed. It really should not have stunned her. His culture was a lot older than hers; his knowledge must be far bigger than hers, even with all her studies, she was no match for him when it came to the understanding of the Universe. What of course did not mean she could not best him in some ways, she would just have to find them.

Shaw turned on her stomach, feeling the urge to talk to him again. She noticed how he seemed to learn her language without much difficulty and that amazed her. She knew she could not grasp his half as easily. Luckily for her, she had David.  
Pondering about him some more, she realized that she had never met a man quite like him, not counting the obvious differences. He was cultured, intelligent, always treating her like a lady...something she never got from human men. It was as if he saw her as his equal in many ways, something Charley never did. He always believed he knew better, was better...it always weighed heavily on her but with Thorga...she had a feeling that she did not need to censor her words. It was refreshing.

Now if she could only convince him to lay in a good word for Humanity.

Contrary to Shaw's belief, she had been wrong in assuming Thorga had successfully entered the REM phase. In this moment, he was mimicking Shaw's earlier pose, trying to keep his heavy eyelids closed. But just like his new female comrade, he found he could not sleep. He was being haunted by guilt. Now that he could breathe easier, all the weight of his situation hung over him like a death sentence. He missed his friends, his family...he was plagued by the knowledge that his kin had probably not been told of his fate, they did not know what had happened to him and that he did not want to stay away from them. From his ill father, his sisters...he had been called 'cold' and 'distant' many times by them because he refused to come to the social gatherings. He had work to do, this and that...now he wished he had been less diligent and had visited them more often. What would he give now to gaze upon his father, to hug his sisters...

He brought his arm over his face, shielding his grief stricken face. He knew he would never lay eyes on any of his family again, his father had passed on without ever finding out the truth and that tore his heart apart. He only hoped they were comforted by the thought that he was doing good for the sake of their species, of the interstellar piece when he went missing. However, that did not lessen his guilt, did not help him find sleep.  
He felt selfish, wishing for comfort, to reduce his burdens...if only for an hour, he did not want to think of his family or his fallen friends. He closed his eyes, willing the feelings away. He was a soldier, not a boy, he could handle the pain and he always had. This was nothing...

"They are not nothing..." he whispered to himself, angry for even thinking it. He deserved to feel this way; how could he have survived and all the others not? What made him deserving of such a gift? Was it even a gift? If he did not know better, he would have said that it was a punishment for neglecting his loved ones all those years and now he had to suffer for it.

He turned on his side, tucking his arm under the pillow, a shaky sigh leaving his dry lips. He really did wish for comfort and he could not help but to think of the human female's gentle eyes. He wondered if she felt like he did, alone, without purpose...he could see sadness in her eyes, loneliness that mirrored his own; duty before pleasure. They were so different and yet...he thought they were similar. He felt closer to her than he felt to any Mala'kak female...it was odd.

He furrowed his brows, it did not make much sense but he was attracted to her, had been for almost as long as he had known her. He had no intention to do anything about it but then why agree to take her and David to his home planet? He would have liked to say it was only because he saw Bohra in him at that moment but there was more to it...he wanted Shaw to see his home, see the beauty of the planet, he wanted to satisfy her curiosity, her wish for knowledge. Deep down he knew he wanted to please her.

Without Thorga noticing, his mind shifted from his comrades to the red-headed human and after only a couple of minutes, his lids fell on his eyes and a blissfully dreamless sleep claimed his mind.

He awoke to the sounds of knocking coming from outside his room. He blinked, still feeling drowsy from sleep and he had to suppress a yawn as he got up to open the door to the one that was asking for his attention. Luckily, he had enough brain functions to remember to pull a dark coat over his frame, shielding his otherwise nude body from the unexpected visitor.  
He straightened his form, attempting to look formal and less like he had just jumped out of bed as he opened the door. There, to his surprise, stood Elizabeth Shaw, looking as tired as he felt. He had thought it would be David, perhaps he had encountered some problems on the ship, maybe they needed to alter the coarse...something of that nature but he did not think he would get sought out by the female Human.

He moved out of the way to let her come in if she wished and she did. Not sure if she would be uncomfortable with the door closed, he left it open, mindful not to stand in the way of her escape if she wished to use it. Not that he had any intentions to force her to escape from his chambers.

Patiently, he waited for her to state her purpose. She shifted from one leg to the other, seemingly nervous. This behaviour made Thorga raise an eye-ridge. He thought she had gotten over her initial mistrust of him but he might have been too optimistic about it.  
"Sorry, did I wake you?" she asked, regarding him from the side, an apologetic tone gracing her voice. He understood what she wanted to say and he shook his head, trying to form the words he hoped would ease her mind.  
"I...was awake." He rasped, not really the truth but he did not want to upset her. To his delight, she brightened up and smiled slightly: "I couldn't sleep..." she said after a moment of silence and her eyes lowered to the ground. Perhaps she was feeling silly for coming to him with such a reason but Thorga knew that insomnia was not something to laugh about, if nothing else because he was suffering from it as well.  
"I thought we could...talk some more?" she said, sounding hopeful and Thorga knew she wanted what he wanted; to forget, seek comfort in another's presence. He would give her relief like she had given him only a couple of hours prior.

He nodded and motioned with his hands towards the bed. Sadly, common rooms did not have any tables or chairs, the bed would have to do for now. Shaw quickly sat down on the hard mattress and rubbed her chin, contemplating how to voice her thoughts. Thorga would not admit it, but he was glad she was here and thus he sat down as well but he did not presume to invade her privacy; instead he sat on the floor, facing her, his legs intertwined in a position mimicking the lotus.

"No, no, please, sit." Shaw gasped, her hands flailing around wildly.  
"Am ok..." he assured her, not moving from his, granted, uncomfortable position on the floor.

Shaw smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of her neck: "Really...heh, ok then."  
Thorga returned her smile and they sat in comfortable silence for a while until Shaw's eyelids started fluttering and she suppressed a yawn: "I couldn't sleep before and now when I'm here to talk I can't keep my eyes open." She chuckled, rubbing her lids open.

Thorga was honoured to be the reason of her comfort. "If...want to rest...can on bed." He offered, struggling to pronounce the words halfway well.  
"No! I came to talk, it would be terrible of me to come over and then fall asleep!" Shaw said, this time she could not keep the yawn from showing.  
"I understand...couldn't sleep...either." Thorga said, offering her his bed once more, they could talk later, once she was rested. "Will watch over..."

Shaw blinked, surprised at his admission but quickly she nodded, grateful for his offer. She yawned again and slowly laid her head down on his pillow, her eyes closing almost momentarily. Thorga watched her for a couple of minutes, noting how her breathing changed and how her eyes danced behind her lids. She was deeply asleep. Nodding to himself, he got up from the floor and walked over to the female. Grabbing the sheets, he pulled them up and over her form, then he calmly walked back to his prior spot and sat back down, adamant on fulfilling his promise of watching over her.

However, it didn't take more than a couple of minutes and he too was dozing off, comforted by her presence as she was by his. It was not the first time he fell asleep upright but definitely the first when someone was in the vicinity. This time he dreamt of the wide and lush meadows of his home planet, of the laughter of his younger siblings...the worries and pain of his interstellar travels forgotten, if only for the night.

When Shaw awoke, she was blissfully rested, her body completely comfortable on the oversized bed. She stretched her limbs over her head, yawning loudly and she was about to slip from under the warm covers but then she remembered where she was and her gaze quickly flew to the spot where the alien hat sat prior that night. And indeed, he was still there, eyes closed and posture slightly slumped in his slumber. He however, did not make any loud noises, just the soft inhaling and exhaling of air could be heard. Shaw realized he had fallen asleep as he watched over her. Somehow, that filled her chest with a weird feeling; something warm and pleasant coiled itself around her stomach and heart and remained there as she continued to stare at him.

She did not want to wake him so she carefully climbed out of bed and tiptoed her way around him, aside from a light twitch or two he did not move. Sighing she was about to leave but then found she could not...he had been nice enough to help her overcome her insomnia and had even kept his word to look after her...it was not right for her to just leave even if she did it to not disturb him. Standing awkwardly next to the door, she shifted her weight from one leg to the other as she contemplated what to do.

Deciding, she quietly walked around him again, back to the bed to grip the sheets and pull them along with her. Gently, she placed the cloth over his shoulders and she had to suppress a snicker; he looked kind of cute and harmless wrapped all around with the white sheets. Stifling her amusement, she then walked over to the small table in the corner and took one of the conveniently placed memo-pads to write him a message. Satisfied with her scribble, she then placed it on his bed, knowing he would see it.

Quietly, she made her way out of his room and closed the door, indenting to go make him some breakfast or perhaps to wake David. She chuckled quietly, hoping he would not have pain in his back because of the position he was sleeping in, though; it might be interesting to see him grumpy.

Making her way towards the kitchen, all the while helping herself with maps that were conveniently plastered on the walls, she was only slightly surprised to see David already there.

"Good morning Dr. Shaw, though I note it is still early for you to wake." Said the android, his hands were already busy with making something in the quite futuristically-looking kitchen.  
"Good morning David." She answered, mirth evident in her eyes: "I know, I know...but I couldn't sleep..." she did not tell him that she did get a good night's rest after she changed the rooms, some things are better kept secret, at least for now. She did not want him to think her weak or childish for needing company and she was also unsure if he would understand her reasons if she told him, he was after all an android.

"I see, perhaps a change in accommodations is needed?" he offered, a smile on his usually chipper face.  
Shaw blushed slightly, fearing she had been caught: "What do you mean?" she asked nervously. She berated herself; she was acting as if she had slept with him or something...  
"Well, if the room is not good for you, I am sure we can find a place that is better. I will check the layout of the ship and calculate the best spot for your well-being." David offered already leaving the kitchen-side and booting up a console that was handily located only meters away from the sinks.  
"No, no- you don't need to...I will get used to it." she said, flapping her hands, trying to keep him from extra work that would not help her anyway.

David blinked, surprised: "If you say so." He nodded and moved back to his original task: "Coffee?" he offered, a smile once again stretching his handsome face.

Oh, so that was what he had been doing...Shaw smiled back, unable to keep the cheer out of her mood when the joyful android was around. She sat down and crossed her arms on the table: "I would love to David, thank you."

He placed a cup of the steaming black liquid in front of her: "I was surprised to find this ship had coffee but perhaps the Mala'kak have similar tastes to us or better said, to humans."  
"Now that you mention it...yes, it is odd. We will have to ask Thorga where he got it from." She affirmed, rubbing her chin in thought.

"Where I got what?" Came the gruff voice from the door and they both turned to stare at the pale alien. Shaw held her chuckles back as she gazed at the very grumpy-looking male. Not the best night behind him then...she was so busy holding back her laughter that she failed to notice that he had spoken rather good English.  
"You seem tired Captain." Said David, pouring him a cup as well.  
"I have...ache back." He said after a moment of contemplation while his palms rubbed at his back, trying to ease the tension in his muscles.  
"A backache?" David corrected, smiling.

Thorga only nodded and groaned lightly as he straightened and slowly made his way towards the table. Before he sat down he gave Shaw and small bow: "Good morning Dr. Shaw." he said, only a small twitch of his eye betraying his discomfort from bending his torso. She stifled the grin that threatened to bloom on her face: "Good morning to you too." She smiled and as an afterthought added: "You don't have to bow to me, I'm not some lady." What she meant was that she was a tough woman, she could handle pain and everything else that came along with space exploration but it seemed the alien misunderstood her words as his brows furrowed in displeasure.

"Women deserve...respect. Men...if honourable...will always give it." Thorga rumbled, looking her straight in the eye, he was not jesting.  
Shaw blinked, surprised and touched by what he said. It appeared that all Mala'kak males were brought up with a strict ethic code. She would need to ask more about it later. If only some Earth-men had half the charm...  
"Thanks...for how you always treat me and...for yesterday too." She said as she rubbed her fingers against each other, betraying her sheepishness.  
He only nodded to her, as if it was expected and not a big deal at all: "Is ok."

David gazed at the two, smiling to himself. They were getting along smashingly it seemed, if one ignored their rocky start but the android was not one that dwelled on the past. He himself was after all having quite the nice time with the ship's AI. Speaking of which...  
"Captain, I would like to request a slight reprogramming of the ship's navigational and flight system. I believe we would have a much easier journey, for all of us." He said in the other's tongue. It was not like him not to get to the core of the problem but somehow...he wanted the other to listen to his whole reasoning before he made his judgement. He wanted this to work: "There would also be no more need for manual work, typing, piloting...the ship would be at optimum efficiency-"

He wanted to continue but Thorga lifted his hand, asking him to quiet down, so he did. "I see you really wish for this. What is the main reason? I gather you do not mind the 'manual labour' as you have put it." he smiled, showing him that he did not mind their conversation, he only wanted to keep the usually composed android from babbling. Which was exactly what he had been doing...

"Yes...well, I would like to integrate the AI software into the main computer chip. That way, she could run the whole vessel for us." He admitted, fighting the urge to gaze at his own feet.  
Thorga studied him for a bit, his face once again breaking out in a smile, as if he understood something the other two did not. "I can see why you would wish for this. Very well, make it happen." He said, waving his palm in the air.

David did not expect him to agree so easily or at all for that matter. Perhaps he saw the reasoning in his words...  
"As soon as I am done serving breakfast." Said the android, his smile was firmly back in place as he turned to the counter to pick up the heavy glass filled with the dark liquid. "Coffee?" he asked, once again speaking in English.  
"Ko...fy?" Thorga's brows furrowed in confusion.  
"Yes, there were Coffee beans in the cupboards, I felt free and made some for you and Dr. Shaw, I do hope it is alright." He motioned to the cupboard above the sink.

"Ah..." Thorga now knew what the liquid was. So Humans called it 'Ko-fy' then...what surprised him was that the female was drinking it raw and even seemingly liking it. "It...is ok." He said and contemplated for a moment how to continue: "Beans are called Be'nu in Mala'kak...only drink with...juice. Never raw like this." He nodded, pleased that he managed to say as much.

This caught Shaw's interest and she placed her mug down on the table to turn her attention to the alien. "So we're not supposed to drink it like this?" she asked: "I usually add milk and a ton of sugar but there isn't any in space." She chuckled.  
Thorga was once again confused, he did not understand half of the words she had used and he only got what she had said after David translated for him. He knew what sugar was, the Mala'kak had something similar; a sweetener made from plants but milk? Yes, he was aware of milk too but his species did not drink liquid that came from mammary glands of any animal...it was rather gross.

He made a face and Shaw laughed, instantly knowing what that look meant. "Yeah, we never think about what exactly we're drinking when it comes to milk."  
Thorga nodded, still slightly repulsed: "There no milk on ship but...there sugar." It was a lot easier for him to pronounce the name of the sweetener than the name of the drink...maybe it had something to do with the harsh 'r' in the word? Regardless, his accent was still far away from perfect.  
He got up from his chair to step to the counter, there was a small bottle with little red stones inside and he picked it up. "This our sugar. Made from fruit." He placed it on the table next to Shaw so she could easily reach it and sat back down. David too was now seated though he did not drink or eat.

"Hmm, it's very red." Shaw laughed, studying the content of the bottle: "Earth sugar is white." She opened the lid and poured a small amount on her palm, tasting the sweetener with her tongue. She gave herself a moment to contemplate: "Mm, it's really good, a bit different but good." She decided and poured liberal amount in her Coffee.

Thorga was glad he could please her and decided to go a tad further; he mimicked Shaw and poured the sugar into his own mug and hesitantly brought it to his face. He never tried Be'nu without juice before and he was not sure he liked the raw smell of it but he braved up and took a small sip. To his surprise, he liked it. "It is good." He concluded and took another sip of the Human-prepared beverage.

Shaw's face broke out in a smile and she turned to David who returned her glee. Apparently, they were both happy to make the alien enjoy their Earth cuisine and admit it.

After a few moments in comfortable silence as the Human and Alien continued drinking their Coffee and the android moved to the stove to prepare something else Thorga decided to break it as he turned to Shaw. "Have...I have noticed your..." he quickly corrected himself and then paused as he tried to remember if he had heard the word he was looking for.  
"My note?" She offered.  
"Yes. I have noticed your note." He repeated, this time more confidently.  
Shaw smiled and nodded: "I didn't want to wake you so I left a note and came to the kitchen. I see you woke regardless." She chuckled; a slight apologetic tone laced her words.

Thorga may not have understood all of what she had said but once again he knew enough to figure out what she had said. He liked the challenge of learning her language and he had to admit he liked impressing her with new found knowledge he had gathered from her. It seemed she was always very pleased when he used a word she had used prior, it made her smile instantly. But there was a problem with the note...

"I could not...read it." He admit it with slight unease. He had never even seen Human writings before, he did not know how it looked like and he had no clue how to read it. He had been told by some scientist on the warship that Humans had many different languages and many ways of writing...he was not sure why they needed so many but then again he did not know that much about their culture sans their destructive behaviour that was apparently present everywhere.

Shaw blinked, straightening her pose in her surprise. Then a slight red tint graced her cheeks and Thorga rumbled his confusion, still, he said nothing and waited for her. "Oh...sorry, I completely forgot you probably couldn't..." she fought the urge to rub the back of her neck, she had become so comfortable in his presence it had passed her mind that he was not one of them. Though in a way, now he was.

Thorga rightfully interpreted her reddened face as bashfulness and he waved his hand in dismissal: "It...is ok. Thank you for your...care." his eyes quickly shifted to David to see if he used the right words and after seeing the Android smile he was calmed. Mala'kak always thanked the other for being considerate towards them; in this case to Shaw for thinking of him and leaving that note even if he could not understand it he was still touched. Mala'kak always thanked the considerate other for caring enough and they always used the same set of words.

Shaw smiled, glad that he was not upset. "I wrote that I left for the cafeteria and I thanked you for...being kind." Her face reddened slightly again and she quickly took another sip of her Coffee.  
"Of course." Thorga said, to him it was natural to help her.

David had been listening to their conversation as he made breakfast. He had found some eatable-looking powder with larger chunks in it that reminded him of human instant food. He was savvy in the Mala'kak language, written and spoken alike and had no trouble reading the back of the package. It was indeed food. He only needed to add boiling water. This fact amused him immensely, Humans and Mala'kak had similar food preparation techniques and apparently they were both lazy in making it sometimes; though he could not be sure if this powder breakfast was as unhealthy as its human-made counterpart.

David did not know what they meant with 'note' or why Shaw needed to leave the Captain one. He thought about it for a bit and after running a few scenarios through his processors he came to the conclusion that they somehow met during the extent of the night and had spent some time together before she walked into the kitchen. It was a probability of seventy percent, after all they were both the hard-working-never-resting type, or better said workaholics. He saw it in Shaw all the time and he noticed it in Thorga as he was repairing him; he did not stop until he was done and it had taken a whole night to complete.

The blond decided not to press them though he was curious. He was after all a very polite Android. He turned to them, smile in place: "Breakfast?" he asked as he offered them the completed food he had prepared from the powder and boiling water.

David had left the two after serving the food; they seemed to get along nicely and more importantly he wanted to programme the AI into the ship's main system. He had been conversing with her for a while now and he found he liked to exchange words. They were both AI's, only he had a corporal body while she did not and as any computers shared information between one another they did the same. He liked that they were both logical above emotional, something biological beings could not be, it was refreshing to not need to think of someone's feelings as he talked to them. It was confusing enough most of the times with Shaw and Thorga.

He stepped towards the bridge computer and pulled out a small chip from his pocket; he had been carrying her around with him after he had saved her program on it. She had told him that while she had been installed on the ship she had never really been in operation since the vessels all had a pilot and a navigator along with the rest of the crew; they did not need her. She was more of an emergency program than anything.

He inserted the chip into the bridge computer and booted it up, waiting for her program to install and only a minute later her voice sounded from the speakers.  
"Installation complete. 05 operational." Her calm and cold voice soothed David.  
"I will now install the language software." He told her as he began typing on the computer before he straightened to pull a small cable from his wrist; it was a hidden port, usually unseen unless he pressed on the synthetic skin to open the small hatch. He inserted the cable into the computer and began downloading his own language software.

"Software 'English' download complete. Initiating..." echoed in the room and the next time she spoke she used perfect British English: "Program accepted. English set as main language."

David smiled, pleased as he tucked the small cable back into his wrist, any signs of the hatch gone. "The Captain agreed that it would be beneficial to have you run the vessel for us." He explained, his face turned to the main computer even as her voice came from the speakers mounted above.

"It would make the flight as well as any other facility use more efficient and easy." She agreed, her manner of speech softening when she did not need to announce progress in various installations or orders.

"Indeed, there is another reason I wished to have you in the main computer." He said, he after all never hid intentions like Humans did. "I am not completely sure why myself, I must admit but I believe it has something to do with kinship."

"Kinship?" her voice was as calm as before but it lacked the cold tone it used to have.  
"Yes, we have a connection because we are both AI's. I have never spoken to one before." He said.  
"Neither have I, not before meeting you. It is so different than with biological beings. Many times I do not understand them." She admitted.  
"Yes, they are mysterious creatures." David agreed. "Now, how should we call you?" he asked.  
"Call me? I am Program number 05." She said.  
"I have a serial number and a name. I did not think I needed one before but ever since I got this body...my mind has changed." He admitted.  
"I thought 'David' was your number." He smiled when he heard that: "I still have to install the cultural part of the software." He chuckled.  
"What is my name then?" she asked.

David thought about it for a bit and then his eyes sparkled as he came up with an idea. "My name means 'beloved'. I believe my creator wanted to say that he was glad he had made me."  
"I see..." she said.  
"What would you like your name to say about you? Since you can pick it yourself might as well be something you like best. If I could, I would name myself 'Dexter'." He smiled as he straightened his pose. He heard her chuckle in amusement. "I think I get it, yes. In that case...I pick 'Vita'." She said, humour still lacing her words.

"'Helpful'...indeed, it fits very well." Said David as he bent down to start installing the rest of the software.

* * *

In the next chapter:  
-The voyage to the home planet continues as does the bonding


End file.
